


Holding Out For A Hero

by januarylily



Category: Gotham (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-09-19 06:35:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9422720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/januarylily/pseuds/januarylily
Summary: Her parents. Dead. If there ever were life changing words—those were them and Greer Wayne's once seemingly perfectly manicured life had just been derailed.





	1. Stand in the Rain

_Where have all the good men gone_?

The sirens outside wailed in the fading light as a young brunette woman lay on her bed with a phone pressed to her ear. She rolled her eyes and mouthed words under breath with a mocking expression before she fell back against her pile of fluffy pillows. Greer Wayne was talking with her mother about plans for the night. You'd think that after twenty-one years of living that her mother would stop treating her like a child. But not Martha Wayne. Never.

Greer lived in an apartment downtown close to Gotham University, but her mother called every single day…sometimes two or more times a day. She said it was because she loved her, but Greer couldn't help but wonder if it was that her mother didn't fully trust her. And given her public persona, she could understand that...at least to a certain extent. But the apron strings had to be cut eventually, right?

With a groan, Greer stood up and took a few steps before she tripped and fell flat on her face on a plush, white rug. Clumsiness, something she definitely hadn't outgrown as they said she would. Then again, Greer never really seemed to follow the path laid-out for her. She liked to push things a bit...but mostly just because she could. Greer forced herself into a sitting position as her mother asked if she was okay. She said she was fine, but she was glad that her mother wasn't there to see her annoyed eye roll. Another thing she hadn't yet outgrown.

Glancing at the furnishings in her room, it was obvious that she came from money; but that was her mother's doing. When Greer had insisted that she wanted an apartment closer to school, her mother insisted on making her comfortable and finding her an apartment in a"safe" part of town. Greer didn't complain about what her mother had done for it, honestly, she dreaded the thought of living like a poor college kid. But she did have to be more careful about whom she invited over to her apartment. Her first few weeks of college, she had lost more belongings to admirers than she had ever lost on her own. Even pairs of underwear had gone missing and that was just weird.

"Greer, are you listening to me? Greer?" Martha Wayne's voice drew Greer out of her reverie.

"Hm? What were you saying, Mom?" Greer responded.

Her mother sighed. "Greer, you promised a week ago that you'd come. Bruce has been looking forward to it."

"Mother, I can't make it tonight. There's this thing called college and I have a killer paper due tomorrow," Greer responded. "If I'm remembering correctly, a week ago you were telling me to try harder in school."

"Greer," her mother groaned disappointedly. Greer hated that sound from her mother. It wasn't like she purposely tried to disappoint her parents. It just happened out that way-that she was their biggest disappointment. Such was her lot in life.

But she had to respond somehow. "Mother." Not the most mature response, she'd admit that. Although, stubbornly she thought that if her mother was going to treat her like a child, she might as well act like one. Again, not very mature, but it was what it was.

Martha Wayne sighed again. Yet another signal of disappointment Greer was more than used to. "From what the tabloids say, it sounds like you're out every night, Greer Elizabeth. You should have had more than enough time to get it done. Besides, your father and I are the ones paying for you to go to school, your apartment…"

Greer rubbed her face. "It's not what it looks like, Mom, I swear."

"No, of course it isn't." Her mother clearly wasn't buying what she was selling. But she should. While Greer did have a public persona, it certainly wasn't who she really was or whom she liked to be. Although, most of her so-called friends didn't know that. No one did. No one understood what it was like to be her. Begging for attention, yet wanting to be alone. Honestly, her life seemed like a walking contradiction.

But of course, Greer would never divulge that much to her mother. Instead, she forced her usual biting sarcasm. "Mom, I don't go out every night. Only every other night." Real mature, Greer couldn't help but think after the words left her mouth. Old habits die hard apparently.

Her mother gave an exasperated sigh, yet another way to express her disappointment in her daughter and then responded in the same sarcasm as her daughter, "Well, that certainly makes everything better."

"I was joking, Mom. Seriously, sometimes, I think I might be becoming a hermit." Her mother didn't sound impressed. So, Greer tried to veer the conversation back to the topic at hand. "I don't get what the big deal is if I don't go. We just had dinner a couple of days ago. It's not like I never see you guys."

"It's Bruce, sweetie."

Greer's brow furrowed. "What about him?"

"He's having some trouble at school and he won't talk to your father or I about it. When we ask if he wants to talk, he says he'll only talk to you. He admires you so much."

Way to lay the guilt trip on. Greer groaned. "I don't know what help I could possibly be."

"Greer."

"Does it have to be tonight? Because I can't possibly go to a movie tonight. Not unless you could convince Daddy to ask my professor for an extension on this paper." There was an awkward pause. Greer rolled her eyes. "Mom, I'm joking again. I don't need Daddy to fight all my battles for me…only some of them."

It took a moment for her mother to respond. "How about ice cream then afterward then?" Martha Wayne asked hopefully.

"What?" Hadn't she just told her mother she'd be busy writing a paper? A paper that really did exist. She wasn't making it up. It was worth like 25% of her final grade-a biggie.

But her mother rarely took no for an answer, not when a compromise could be made. "How about we'll meet you for ice cream at the place around the corner from you after the musical. This way you can still see Bruce and hopefully find out what's going on."

"Mom, I still have a paper to write."

In her stern motherly voice, Martha said, "I'm sure you could use a little study break and I've never known you to say no to ice cream."

Greer thought about it for a moment. She did like ice cream and she could definitely use a study break at some time. It also might help to bribe herself to get more of the paper done. Seeing more pros than cons, she agreed. "Fine. Call me when you get there and I'll swing by for a little bit."

"Good. We'll see you then." Her mother's tone was light, clearly pleased with the new events.

"Yes, you will."

"I love you, sweetie."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah—I'll see you later."

Greer hung up the phone and shook her head accompanied by another eye roll. She knew that her mother was just trying to be there for both of her children, but sometimes she was a bit excessive. She didn't know any other person in college whose mother was as overprotective as Martha Wayne. Greer loved her mother, but sometimes she wished that her mother cared just a little less. Some freedom would be nice.

Knowing that her roommate was out for the evening, Greer walked to the kitchen and put the tea kettle on the stove. It was going to be a long night trying to plunk out this paper and she needed something caffeinated to keep her awake. If only she liked coffee she would drink that, but the taste was always much too bitter for her liking. Tea on the other hand she liked. Greer waited until the tea kettle whistled before she poured hot water into her mug to make some tea. Then it was study time. She would have roughly two hours to get something accomplished with this paper.

Time seemed to move by slowly, but she seemed to be making decent progress on her paper. The bribe of ice cream was working. Greer checked her word count. She had made surpassed the minimum word count. All she had to do was finish it up with a conclusion paragraph which she could probably do in her sleep. Had she seriously just cranked out a paper that fast?

Greer glanced at the clock on the wall. Her brow furrowed, it was well past the time the musical should have ended. Mother should have called her by now, she was always very prompt about things...to a fault. Greer took a sip of tea before she slammed her book shut and quickly dressed in something a little more acceptable for the public eye. Especially in case the paparazzi managed to find her.

Wrapping her scarf around her neck just in case it was cool, Greer left the house and ran down to the little ice cream parlor around the corner. She walked inside to find the place almost empty aside from an elderly couple sharing a sundae. Greer walked up to the counter and asked the server if he had seen Thomas and Martha Wayne come in. That was probably the only good thing about having famous parents, everyone knew who they were, meaning they were fairly easy to track. Not that she usually used that benefit to find them...but rather stay away from them.

The server, who was dressed in a red and white striped uniform, told her that he hadn't seen them, which caused Greer to furrow her brow in confusion. Maybe Bruce had grown tired or something while watching the play. So, Greer walked back to her apartment hoping that maybe she had missed their phone call telling her as much. She had just unlocked her door when the phone started to ring. Not even bothering to pull her keys from the lock, Greer ran across the room to answer the phone.

Quickly, she picked the phone up and pressed it to her ear. "My god, did you guys get lost or something? There's no possible way the movie lasted that long. Unless there was a revolt because they were out of popcorn," Greer said.

"I-uhm—excuse me, is this Greer Wayne I am speaking with?" a rather gruff voice sounded on the other end.

Greer's eyes widened in surprise. So, not who she had been expecting. "Oh my god, I thought you were my mother. Sorry."

"No ma'am, I'm not." Greer rolled her eyes. She had gotten that much from the manly sounding voice on the other end of the line. Thankfully, he continued before she could say something sarcastic. "Are you Greer Wayne?"

"Yes, yes, I am. Who may I ask is this?"

The man's breath hitched, he was clearly hesitating. "This is Detective James Gordon, ma'am. I'm with the GCPD and I'm with your brother Bruce."

Greer's eyes widened. Her mother had told her things with Bruce weren't good, but she hadn't realized they were that bad. Bad enough that the GCPD would be calling her. Guilt began to bubble up in her stomach. Perhaps she shouldn't have skipped the movie. Family was supposed to come first. She should have just said to hell with the paper and went to the movie. But she couldn't do anything to change that now. Greer sighed, "What did he do? Is he in trouble?"

"No, ma'am. He's not in trouble with the law. I just need you to come down and get him."

Greer's brow furrowed in confusion. It didn't make sense. Why did she have to go down there? She expressed just as much to this Detective Gordon. "Why? Where are my parents?"

The man hesitated again. "This isn't the kind of thing I'd like to say over the phone."

Her patience was wearing thin. What the hell was going on? "Just tell me." Her tone was rather irritable.

Greer heard the man exhale a breath before he said, "Ma'am, your parents have been murdered…"

That was all she heard before the telephone went crashing to the ground. Greer Wayne stood there frozen in place. Her parents. Dead. If there ever were life changing words—those were them and Greer Wayne's once seemingly perfectly manicured life had just been derailed. And there was no one there to save her from the nightmare that was now her life.

Slowly, as she tried to manage to breathe, Greer backed herself up against the door and slid down it to the floor. She tried to process the words the man on the phone had just spoken. They couldn't be true, could they? She could hear the detective still trying to talk to her on the phone, but her head wasn't in the present. It was too busy trying to wrap her head around the situation.

Dead.

They couldn't possibly be dead.

They were supposed to have ice cream. Her mother had promised her ice cream, but that was a promise she would never be able to keep. Now, the very thought of ice cream made her eyes begin to water and soon the tears were freely flowing down her face.

Oh god, what was she going to do?

What was going to happen to Bruce?

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Not yet.

Her parents were supposed to live to see her graduate college. They were supposed to live to see her get married...have kids; but if everything this detective said was true, then none of this was going to happen. Her hopes and dreams had just been killed right along with her parents. Her father would never walk her down the aisle to the man she loved. Her mother would never spoil her grandkids rotten.

Through the panic attack, Greer tried to breathe. She had to pull it together. She had to pull it together for Bruce. Bruce. He needed her. He needed her now more than ever. She needed to be there for him. And to be honest, Greer needed him.

Greer closed her eyes and focused her on breathing. She needed to calm herself down before she stood up. When she felt somewhat calm, she pulled herself to her feet, clutching onto the window sill. She managed a quick glance out the window to see that it had started raining. It was as if the weather had decided to match her current emotional state.

Detective Gordon's voice came from the phone which was still on the floor. She had almost forgotten about him. Greer wiped the tears from her cheeks before she picked up the phone once more and pulled it up to her ear before sniffling as she continued to talk, "I-uh-sorry, 'bout that. It's just a lot to take in."

"It's understandable ma'am. Your brother…"

"Where is he? I'll take a cab if need be. I need to get to him. I need to be there for him."

"Yes, ma'am." The man then rattled off the cross streets near the alley where he and Bruce were currently located.

But Greer cut him off before he could finish speaking. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

A few minutes later, she had called a company for a cab to meet her outside her door. They said they'd call her when they were there. Until then, she just had to wait. Waiting. She hated waiting. Especially at times like this. So she did the only thing she could do: cry. But that lasted only a few minutes until she realized that she wasn't ready to go back out again.

Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, which she just couldn't seem to stop. She wanted to just turn it off, but she couldn't. With tears stinging her eyes and blurring her vision, Greer walked over to her closet and pulled out a black trench coat. She pulled it over her clothes and tied it tightly around her waist. She then ran her fingers through her hair once more before she tried to put on a brave face and walked toward the door. Although, she wouldn't be able to rid herself of her ugly crying face.

After the cab driver called her to let her know he was waiting, Greer walked out of her building toward the cab in the dark as the rain fell. She had completely forgotten to grab an umbrella, so the rain pelted her face as she ran to the cab. She knew her mother hated the fact that she trusted her life to random strangers in cabs, but that has been one thing Greer had put her foot down about. She had wanted to be somewhat normal, but now thinking back on the argument, it seemed so trivial. Everything did. But thinking of her mother made her want to cry and right now she had to be strong. So, she pushed aside any thoughts of her mother as she slid into the backseat of the cab and told the driver where she wanted to go.

The cab had to drop her off a few blocks away from the crime scene. Already a large crowd was beginning to gather outside the police tape. Greer wished she had remembered to bring a pair of sunglasses to hide her tear-filled eyes and an umbrella to shield herself from prying eyes. But she kept her eyes down as she maneuvered her way through the crowd, trying not to draw attention to herself. The last thing she wanted to do right now was make a scene.

When she approached the police tape, Greer tried to sneak underneath it, but one of the officers came up to her and put his hand out to stop her. "Ma'am, this is a crime scene…" the officer started.

"My brother…" Greer started, as she tried to continue to force her way inside the barricade.

But the man remained firm. "Ma'am, back on the other side of the tape."

Greer's stubborn side reared its ugly head. She flung her head up and looked at the man with an icy glare, enough to cause even the mightiest to tremble. "Do you know who I am?" She hated playing that card, but she needed to get to her brother.

The man cocked his head and folded his arms across his chest. "I know you're the girl trespassing on a crime scene and I will take you downtown if I have to."

Her gaze hardened. This man was being ridiculous. "Seriously? You turn a blind eye to the actual crime in this city but you'll arrest an innocent girl for trying to get to her brother in a time of need." Gotham's crime rate was notorious and yet the police did hardly anything about it. But this man had the audacity to threaten her? He had the audacity to threaten Greer Wayne?

Greer tried to push past the man in his blue uniform, but he grabbed her by the wrist. This pissed her off. She tried to pull away from him, but he just grasped her wrist tighter as he reached for his handcuffs with his free hand. What the hell was going on? All she wanted to do was get to her brother, but this idiot...Greer could already see the people in the crowd already beginning to notice the scuffle and some of them were taking pictures of the scene. Great. Just what she needed. Her face plastered all over the tabloids for a misunderstanding. Thankfully, another man came running to her rescue.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there cowboy, don't you know this is Greer Wayne," the new man said. This man looked older, slightly disheveled, and definitely more experienced. The first cop stopped fighting Greer, but he at the older man in confusion. The older man rolled his eyes and continued, "You know, daughter of the deceased and heiress of Wayne Enterprises? I'd let her go unless you want a mountain of litigation up your ass, but that's just me."

Finally understanding the rookie cop quickly released Greer's wrist. She was glad to have it back, but it hurt like hell. She absently started to rub her wrist with her other hand while the rookie begged her not to press charges. The older detective ignored the younger man and held his hand out toward Greer. "Detective Harvey Bullock, ma'am."

"I just want to see my brother." Greer didn't extend her hand, instead, she just held her wrist. Detective Bullock dropped his hand and awkwardly shoved it in his coat pocket, likely taking some offense that Greer Wayne had refused him. "My brother, please?"

"He's with my partner…"

But Greer cut him off. "Take me to him...please." She was sure to add the please, not wanting to sound too demanding.

Detective Bullock nodded his head before he motioned for her to step under the police tape. "Follow me."

Greer stepped under the police tape Bullock held up for her before she folded her arms across her chest as she followed behind him. She gasped when her eyes spotted two white sheets on the pavement. She knew enough to know that those were her parents lying beneath those sheets. Lying dead.

She stopped in her tracks as her heart began to beat faster and faster. Greer clutched her jacket above where her heart was beating wildly. She thought that she might faint. But Detective Bullock noticed she had stopped following him. So, he stopped and turned around to look at her. He furrowed his brow with a sympathetic glance before he took a few steps back and placed his hand gently on Greer's back to guide her.

"This way, sweetheart," Bullock said.

"Don't call me sweetheart," Greer hissed through gritted teeth before she shrugged the detective's hand off.

Bullock glanced at Greer with a furrowed brow, but after years on the job, he knew grief made people act irrationally. So, he decided to read nothing into Greer's actions. He just nodded his head before he motioned with his hand in the direction she should go to find her brother. She muttered her thanks to him and he nodded his head once more.

After walking a few yards, Greer's eyes caught sight of her little brother though the rain in the darkened alley. Bruce was sitting on a fire escape, wrapped in a blanket seated beside another detective. Greer's heart broke as she looked at her brother. Somehow he looked younger than he had the last time she had seen him. Her heart went out to him because his heart was just as shattered as hers. Greer choked back a sob before she started to run, sloshing through the puddles. She shouted her brother's name though the alley, "Bruce! Bruce!"

Bruce must have heard his sister's voice because his head flung up to see her running toward him. Ignoring whatever the detective was saying to him, Bruce started running toward Greer, the rain pelting his face. Right now all he wanted was his sister, especially if he couldn't have his parents. Greer always made him feel better when he was little. He hoped that she would have the right words for him now.

Greer stopped and opened her arms to her brother, which he ran into. Bruce buried his face in his sister's coat as she wrapped her arms around him, holding tightly onto him. Bruce held onto his sister just as tightly. Tears streamed down both the Wayne siblings cheeks as they held each other tightly. Greer bent down and gently kissed the top of her brother's head. She attempted to whisper words of comfort to him, telling him that everything was going to be okay, despite not believing the words herself. He needed to hear them.

While Greer might have been the big sister, Bruce, at twelve-years-old, was close to being nearly as tall as her. Another inch or two inches and he would have surpassed her five-foot-five stature, making her the shortest member of the Wayne family. Especially now that her parents were...Greer couldn't bring herself to think that final word. Not yet.

Greer sniffled and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her coat. She then took a step away from her brother. Bruce's brow furrowed as his sister placed her small hands on her brother's cheeks. Greer took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eyes. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Bruce? Bruce?"

"Greer, I-I-" Bruce stammered before he tore his gaze away from his sister and toward the ground. He refused to meet her gaze as he adjusted the grey blanket around his shoulders. Greer tipped Bruce's chin up to see his face in the light. His bottom lip began to tremble. So, Greer pulled her brother close again, resting her chin on the top of his head.

The rain continued to gently fall on the two of them as they stood there clinging to each other. Tears with a mixture of rain streamed down both the Wayne siblings' cheeks. It hurt so bad. She couldn't remember the last time she felt such pain-a pain that felt like it would never subside. A pain that would likely be with her for the rest of her life.

As she held Bruce, Greer watched the man he had been sitting with walk toward them. The expression on his face looked stern. Greer wasn't sure if his expression was a mask or his actual feelings on the matter. She watched as he stopped a few feet away from them. Greer made pained eye contact with the man through her blurry vision as she held tightly onto her brother.

"You must be Greer Wayne," the detective said in a solemn tone. Greer nodded her head as the man shoved his hands into his pockets before he continued. "We spoke on the phone. I'm Detective James…"

"Gordon," Greer finished for him, resting her cheek on the top of her brother's head. "I remember."

The back door of one of the buildings opened, flooding light on Detective Gordon. Greer couldn't help but notice how blue his eyes looked, but the door quickly shut again and it was practically dark once more. But Greer continued to watch the man in front of her. He seemed different than the other two GCDP men she had interacted with earlier. He carried himself differently and she already got the feeling that he gave a damn more than the others.

"Sorry we had to meet like this," Detective Gordon said. Greer nodded her head in response. He took a step closer toward them, talking a little lower. "I was hoping to have a few more minutes with your brother if you don't mind. I want to make sure that I have all the information I can get so that I can get to the bottom of this. You can stay with your brother if you'd like."

Greer nodded and sighed before she whispered in Bruce's ear. "Are you up for that?"

Bruce hesitated but then he nodded his head.

"Would you like me to stay with you?"

Again he nodded his head. She knew this was hard for him.

Greer rubbed her brother's back before she looked at Detective Gordon. She opened her mouth to speak, but words seemed to escape her. Instead, she nodded her head. Thankfully, Detective Gordon seemed to understand what the nod meant. He gestured toward the fire escape. Again, Greer nodded her head in understanding.

Greer kissed Bruce's forehead once more before she snaked her fingers through his. Gently, she turned him and they walked hand-in-hand back over to the fire escape. With tears in his eyes, Bruce practically clung to his sister, which continued to break her heart. She was all he had left. What kind of cruel person would do that? Why would someone do that? It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to either of them.

Not wanting to burst into tears again, Greer looked away from Bruce and toward Detective Gordon, who walked beside her. He gave her a forced smile, which oddly she appreciated because it distracted her. She thought the smile looked nice on him. Not that she had interacted with many GCPD cops, but they rarely wore smiles-not even forced ones. And his smile kept her from drowning in her grief. It reminded her to be strong. For Bruce.

Holding onto his hand, Greer helped Bruce sit down before she sat down a stair behind him. She hugged her brother from behind-holding her little brother tightly, reminding him that she was there for him. Reminding herself that she needed to be there for him. She couldn't allow her grief to consumer her. Not now.

Greer rested her chin on top of his head as she felt his hands reach to cling to her arms. His grip was so tight that Greer wondered if he was ever going to let her go again. Detective Gordon sat down beside her brother before he looked back at Greer. His glance seemed to ask if it was okay for him to proceed. Greer gave him a nod of affirmation.

"Bruce, what can you tell me about what happened?" Detective Gordon asked.

Bruce didn't say anything. So, Detective Gordon repeated his question. Greer nudged Bruce to say something, but he wasn't having any of it. Then, surprising her, Bruce turned toward his sister. He rested his face against her knee, clung to her leg, and began to shake uncontrollably.

Greer sighed and rubbed Bruce's back. "I'm sorry about this," Greer apologized to Detective Gordon.

"I wouldn't be doing this unless it was absolutely necessary."

Greer nodded her head and sighed. "Bruce, c'mon. You gotta talk to him. I can't do it for you. I-I-"

"You weren't here! You were supposed to be here!" Bruce cried, his head flinging up. His expression looked almost angry, which surprised her. "You promised me that you'd be here. You lied!"

Tears filled Greer's eyes as she fumbled to make any words come from her mouth. The only words that came were:

I know.

I know.

I know.

Detective Gordon watched the tense scene between the siblings with his jaw tense, as if it pained him to see them like that. He then leaned toward Bruce and quietly said, "When I was about your age, a drunk driver hit our car. Killed my dad."

Greer's heart panged hearing Detective Gordon's admission. It genuinely felt like he cared and that he understood what was going on-that he wanted to help them. Detective Gordon looked at Greer once more, offering her a slight reassuring nod before turning his attention back to Bruce. Rather solemnly, he said, "I was right next to him. I know how you feel."

Bruce sniffled before rubbing his nose on Greer's leg before he turned to face Detective Gordon. Bruce's bottom lip still trembled as his attention rested on him. Greer quickly kissed her brother's temple.

"And I promise you that however dark and scary the world might be right now, there will be light. There will be light, Bruce," Detective Gordon said.

Bruce looked back at Greer, who nodded her head, before he spoke, "We just got out of the movies." Bruce sniffled and wiped his nose with the blanket as Detective Gordon nodded his head to show to Bruce that he was listening. "We were walking through the alley to catch an uptown cab so we could meet Greer for ice cream when a tall man came out of the shadows." Greer closed her eyes as her brother continued to recount what he had seen.

With each detail he spilled, her heart hurt a little more. She should have been there.

"He-he was tall..."

Pang.

"...with a black mask..."

Pang.

"...and he had a hat and gloves..."

Pang. Pang.

"...and shiny shoes."

Pang.

A sob escaped Greer's lips which she attempted to stifle by pressing her face against her brother's hair as he finished. "He took my dad's wallet and my mom's necklace. And then he shot them for no reason at all. I should have done something! But I was too scared!"

Bruce then turned back toward his sister and Greer held him tighter. "You should have been here!"

"I know-I'm sorry..." Greer started to apologize when Detective Gordon interrupted her.

"It's a good thing she wasn't, Bruce," Detective Gordon said glancing at Greer before looking at Bruce. "She could have been killed too and then you'd have no one, Bruce. But look, your sister is here now and that's what matters. She's here for you and she's hurting just like you are. There is nothing either of you could have done to stop what happened."

Detective Gordon then held eye contact with Greer "I mean it. Don't beat yourself up about not being here. I know what I say probably isn't going to stop you from doing so, but it helps no one to focus on what ifs. The past is in the past, but there is something you both can do now."

"What's that?" Greer rubbed at her nose with the back of her hand as she intently watched the man seated beside her brother.

"You can be strong," Detective Gordon said looking straight at her before repeating himself while looking at Bruce. "Be strong. I promise you both that I will find the man who did this."

It was at this point that Greer broke down and the tears she had been holding back to be brave for Bruce suddenly escaped like a levee breaking. Bruce turned and hugged his sister tightly and she hugged him back.

"You'll get through this, I promise," Detective Gordon reassured the Wayne siblings.

The Wayne siblings as they held onto each other and Detective Gordon wished that there were more he could do for them. But finding the man responsible for this wasn't exactly going to be easy. Although, Jim Gordon would do it-even if it was the last thing he did.

Suddenly, a black car pulled up on the other side of the yellow tape. Greer's eyes looked up to see Alfred waltz out of the car and toward them with a purpose in his stride. The cops lifted the yellow tape for him. Normally, Greer would have wanted to scoff at a gesture she had been refused but Alfred had been offered, but instead, she shook Bruce and angled him toward Alfred. Bruce immediately released the blanket he had wrapped around himself before he took off in a sprint toward Alfred. Detective Gordon offered Greer a hand to stand, which she accepted before she slowly sauntered toward Alfred who had Bruce embraced in a hug.

As Greer drew closer toward Alfred and Bruce, she crossed her arms over her chest as if trying to keep everything together. But when Alfred looked at her with an arm open and said her name, Greer ran toward the man who had been like a second father to her, like a small child running toward their father.

Alfred held both Wayne children tightly as Detective Gordon walked closer to them. The two men introduced themselves to each other. Remembering that she was a grown adult, Greer backed away from Alfred, trying to compose herself. She was twenty-one years old. She shouldn't be all over the place emotionally like this. Rolling her shoulders back, she raised her chin and set her gaze at Detective Gordon who was making the promise to Alfred that he had made to Greer and Bruce: that he was going to catch the person responsible.

"New boy, are you?" Alfred responded.

"You could say that," Gordon offered.

"Well, good luck, mate." Alfred nodded his head before he turned Bruce and wrapped an arm around the young boy's shoulder. He left his other arm open for Greer to crawl under. She did and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder too.

"Come along, you two. Don't look down. Heads up. Eyes front. Don't let them see you crying." They had walked no more than a few yards when Greer shrugged Alfred's arm from her shoulder and told him that she'd be right back.

Greer turned and walked back toward Detective Gordon who stood there watching her walk away. She slowly approached him trying to figure out what to say. Stopping a few feet away from him, her eyes locked with his before she finally managed to speak, "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what? That I'm going to do everything in my power to find the man that did this. Yeah-I meant it," Detective Gordon offered.

"Not that. The part about losing your dad."

"That? Yeah. Worst couple of years of my life after that."

"That's reassuring." Greer's tone was sarcastic. That made Detective Gordon smile.

"It might not seem like it now, but you'll get through it. You're strong, I can tell." Greer opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Instead, she just nodded her head like she had done many times that night. She turned to walk away, but Detective Gordon offered some parting words. "Good luck, ma'am."

Greer stopped and shook her head before she turned to face him again. "Ma'am is something you call someone over forty."

Detective Gordon appeared slightly amused before he tried again. "Good luck, kid."

"I'm not a child, either." By this point, Greer had a slight smile on her face with her arms folded across her chest as she took a step closer to Detective Gordon. He swallowed hard looking at the young woman in front of him before he gave her a slight smile.

"Good luck...Greer Wayne."

Greer just nodded her head before she turned and walked away. She took a few steps before she looked over her shoulder to see Detective Gordon watching her walk away. Nodding her head again, she started walking once more. Luck-that was probably just what she needed. But Greer Wayne didn't believe in luck. No, she was holding out for a hero.

Greer's faceclaim: Leighton Meester

Edited: 5/19/2018-This story is going through a rewrite process. Storylines not likely to change much, but hopefully the writing will be a bit better.


	2. Strangled By Life

_And where are all the gods?_

Normal. Was there such a thing as normal anymore? Probably not. Things would never be normal again, or at least not the normal she had known. Greer Wayne sighed as the sunlight streamed in through the tall windows as she lay on a large comfortable bed beside her softly-snoring little brother. She smoothed his hair with her hand and sighed. The last couple of nights since her parents' murders she had slept beside Bruce calming him when the night terrors and cries eventually came. She had always loved her brother, but their relationship had vastly changed over the past few days.

Usually, Greer just thought of him as her annoying little brother who seemed set out to ruin her fun or completely embarrass her. This was especially annoying when he wanted to do nothing but hang around her whenever he saw her. The typical older sister, younger brother stuff. But now, he was her sole source of comfort in this time of tragedy. Unexpectedly, her role of sister had morphed into the role of mother. It was a role she wasn't so sure she was able to fill, but for Bruce, she would try. She would try anything if it meant Bruce even having some sense of normalcy as he continued to grow up. It wasn't fair that he should have to grow up otherwise.

Greer pressed a kiss against his forehead. She loved the little twerp. As much as he annoyed her, she couldn't help but love him. Greer rolled onto her back and stared straight ahead at the ceiling, releasing the breath she had been holding. Everything had changed. Only a few days ago she had been a carefree college student, only worrying about turning papers in on time, and now here she was attempting to raise a child. Talk about a turnaround.

Well, she had Alfred to help her with Bruce, but Greer hadn't returned to school nor had she turned in that paper she had been working on the night her parents had died. While the professor had called to give his condolences and offer her an extension, Greer hadn't responded to any calls from the university. All they wanted was her money. They didn't truly care. Or so she told herself.

Her friends, if you could really call them that, had tried calling her at first but the phone calls quickly faded after a few days. She knew she had mostly surrounded herself with people who had really only wanted to be friends with her for her parents' name and money. But that was college, right? It was a place where one was supposed to screw things up and learn from past mistakes. It just seemed that she had to do the learning a lot sooner than she had been anticipating. And those so-called friends just didn't get that.

There was a gentle knock at the door before Alfred came waltzing through the door. He walked over to the windows and flung the curtains open without notice. Greer squealed. The intense sunlight hurt her eyes and made her take cover under the blankets to shield her eyes. But Alfred wasn't going to deal with her nonsense. He walked over to the bed and pulled the blankets off her.

"What the hell, Alfred?" Greer groaned, shielding her eyes with her hands as her eyes attempted to adjust to focus on the butler. He did not look amused. She sighed. "What time is it?"

"It's time for you and Master Bruce to eat some breakfast," Alfred responded as he walked around the bed toward the side where Bruce lay.

Greer glanced over at her brother and sighed. "Let him sleep, Alfred. He's been through enough the past few days. A little extra sleep won't kill him."

Alfred arched an eyebrow. "I beg to differ, Miss Greer. He needs an established routine to get him back into the swing of things. You both do. And don't bother arguing with me, Miss Greer, I have a few more years of experience on me than you do."

"I wasn't going to argue." Greer's brow furrowed as she folded her arms across her chest. Her expression spoke volumes of the immaturity she still clung to. "I just thought that he could use some extra sleep because he woke up screaming several times last night."

"I'm very well aware of that fact, Miss Greer. I have ears. But you seemed to get him quieted in hardly any time at all." Alfred glanced at Greer. That was probably about as high of praise she was going to get in this situation, so Green nodded her head in thanks. Alfred then continued, "Now, how about breakfast then."

Greer rolled her eyes and fell back against the fluffy pillows. She knew that Alfred was only trying to help, but she had a feeling that she was going to be butting heads with him quite a bit in the foreseeable future when it came to raising Bruce. Granted, she knew that Alfred was older, more mature, and had many more years of life experience than she did, but she was still Bruce's flesh and blood...she was Thomas and Martha's flesh and blood. That had to count for something, right?

Alfred walked to Bruce's side and moved to wake him, but Greer told him that she would do it. Alfred seemed somewhat surprised, but he motioned for her to give it a go, almost as if it were a challenge. Greer rolled onto her side and began to gently shake her little brother. "Bruce," she whispered into his ear. "Brucey, it's time to get up."

Bruce groaned and buried his face further into his pillow. Alfred cocked an eyebrow at her. Not wanting Alfred having another thing to lord-over her, Greer bit her bottom lip and shook her brother a little harder. "You'd better get up, you twerp, or I'm giving your breakfast to the strays."

Rolling toward her, Bruce opened one eye and looked at his sister. He then closed his eye before he hid his face beneath the blankets. Greer refused to look up at Alfred because he was without a doubt enjoying her misfortune. "Bruce, C'mon," Greer said shaking her brother once more. "Up and at 'em before Alfred decides to starve both of us."

Bruce slowly pulled his covers so that just his eyes were showing. Greer jutted her lip out like she had many times as a child in order to get her way. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" she asked her brother.

He rolled his eyes and groaned before he slowly sat up. Greer shook her head. He was already taking after her and she wasn't sure that was necessarily a good thing.

"Good morning, Master Bruce," Alfred greeted him.

"What's for breakfast?" Bruce asked groggily as he stretched his body after a restless night's sleep.

"French Toast with strawberries and whipped cream," Alfred announced with a smile toward Greer. Greer sighed and tried to smile back, but she wasn't entirely sure what her expression ended up. He knew that was her favorite breakfast. Despite being a damn hardass at times, it was obvious that Alfred did care about her...almost as if she were the annoying daughter he never wanted. She couldn't help but think back on the times when she would sneak out of the house. He was always there to chastise her the next morning but was always there with a hangover remedy in hand.

Bruce jumped out of bed and beelined out of the room, headed toward the kitchen. "C'mon, Greer!" Bruce called from the hallway. "Don't make me give your food to the strays."

Greer shook her head at her own words being played against her before she stood up and followed Bruce and Alfred downstairs to the kitchen. Her feet slid across the hardwood floors in her socks and with each step, she took memories began to haunt her. She could remember running down these halls with Bruce when they were both younger. They'd both fall flat on their asses in fits of giggles, after purposeful and accidental slides. Their mother would hear the ruckus from downstairs and then run upstairs to check on them. They both quickly learned to play innocent when Mother came upstairs. Either that or scramble into their bedrooms.

Pausing, Greer smiled in her reverie for a moment at the thought, but when she realized that a scene like that would never play out again, her heart sank and her smile faded. The past few days had been really hard-trying to put on a brave face for Bruce, but truth was, it hurt like hell. Her heart had shattered and there was nothing anyone could do to fix it. Greer wiped a stray tear from her cheek before she stepped into the kitchen.

As she entered, Alfred pulled the already made French Toast out of the warmer and motioned for Greer and Bruce to sit at the table in the breakfast nook. Bruce sat down first and Greer slid into place beside him as Alfred set the pan on the table. Bruce immediately stabbed at a piece of French Toast with his fork and took several pieces before Greer cleared her throat. He looked at his sister sheepishly, before his fork retreated so that Greer could get a chance to grab a few pieces.

Greer spooned a healthy serving of strawberries on top before a huge dollop of whipped cream. This sight would normally bring an enormous smile to her face, but she couldn't bring herself to smile, not over food. It would feel wrong. Greer then glanced at Alfred to find him staring off into the distance. It was obvious this was affecting him too and honestly, it pained her that she hadn't thought of that.

"Alfred, want to join us?" Greer asked him.

"I already ate hours ago, Miss Greer," Alfred responded lamely.

Greer patted the table across from here where no one was sitting. "Well, at least have a seat then. We don't bite." Normally, she would smile, but she wasn't even going to force it this time.

"That's not entirely true, Miss Greer. You bit me plenty of times as a child." Greer looked up at Alfred who had a slight glint in his eye, but a moment later the hard facade had returned. She simply shook her head before taking a bite of her breakfast as Alfred sat down across from them at the table. "Miss Greer, have you anything scheduled for today?"

Greer was surprised by his question. Honestly, she had planned on staying in bed forever and never leaving the manor ever again. Greer swallowed a bite of food and wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin before she responded, "I-uh-why?" She blinked several times at him, her youthful naivety clearly showing.

Alfred appeared somewhat hesitant to respond before he said, "Master Bruce needs a new suit for the funeral tomorrow…"

The funeral.

Tomorrow.

Those words hit Greer like a ton of bricks that she didn't even pay attention to the rest of what Alfred said. Tomorrow it would actually become a reality. The past few days, while having been painful, hadn't really seemed entirely real. It almost seemed as if their parents were just away on some sort of trip without them, not entirely unheard of. But tomorrow, they would be buried in the ground. The cold, hard, unforgiving ground never to be returned to their former lives. Her throat choked up and tears stung her eyes just thinking about it. Everything still felt so raw.

"Greer," Bruce said nudging his older sister. "Greer."

"Mm-sorry, what?" Greer said running her fingers through her hair as she turned to look at her brother.

"Alfred asked you if you needed a new dress for the…"

Bruce hung his head before he could finish his sentence. He couldn't even say the word funeral. She knew how terribly this was hurting him too. He was only a child. So much life still ahead of him. He would grow up knowing that his parents had been dead most of his life. Greer's eyes watered even more as she wrapped her arm around her brother's shoulder and drew him closer to her before she kissed the top of his head.

Bruce's immediate reaction was very typical for a boy his age. "Why are you always kissing me? It's disgusting."

Greer sighed, unable to bring herself to smile. She was just glad that Bruce was still in there somewhere. Her annoying little brother. She decided to keep the mood light, for his sake. "Would you rather I give you a wedgie instead?" Greer arched her eyebrow.

Bruce looked shocked for a brief moment and then he responded, "No. Just don't kiss me in public. It's still disgusting."

Greer made a silly duck face toward her brother to which he simply responded by shaking his head before sighing heavily and stabbing his fork at his breakfast once more. Knowing that it was going to take more than just acting silly to be strong for Bruce, Greer turned to Alfred who was watching the scene between the Wayne siblings.

"Alfred, I think I'll take you up on that offer. Since when have I been known to turn down a chance at shopping?" She forced a fake smile on her face, for Bruce's sake before Alfred nodded, acknowledging what she said.

A couple of hours later, Greer found herself in the backseat with Bruce as they headed downtown. Greer made sure to wear sunglasses this time to shield her eyes from the prying paparazzi. She knew that since the shocking murder of her parents that any photograph of her or Bruce was worth a lot of money. It wasn't as if the city of Gotham actually cared how her brother or she were doing, they just wanted to know for the sake of gossip. The car pulled around to an alley at the back of the store. Hopefully, this way they wouldn't be as much of a public spectacle as they would have been walking through the front door.

A nicely dressed man waited for them outside the back door to usher them inside the store. Greer made sure to exit the car first as a lone photographer ran his way around the building with his camera in hand. She quickly turned and held out a hand for Bruce to grab, practically dragging him out of the car. They sprinted to the back door as several more photographers ran back to find them. Greer could hear the cameras snapping photographs.

Alfred and the other man tried to shield the Wayne children with their bodies, standing between them and the photags, until Greer and Bruce made it safely inside the building. The back door slammed shut behind them. Greer pulled her sunglasses on to the top of her head and tried to catch her breath as she stood there with her hands on her hips. Bruce surprisingly seemed unfazed by things. It was Alfred who was the most upset. He pinned the other man to the wall. Clearly, Alfred was pissed.

"How the bloody hell did they know?" Alfred hissed. Greer looped her arm through Bruce's as they watched the show.

"I-I don't know. Some-someone must have leaked the information," the man squealed in a panic. His eyes were wide and his brow was sweaty. He was just as shocked as they were, but Alfred continued to lay into him.

"We paid you to keep them safe. Haven't these kids been through enough? Or did you feel the need to add to their misery? Or worse yet, profit off it."

"I-I'm sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen. I will find the mole and I swear to god they will be fired."

Alfred took a step back from the man and nodded his head. He then dusted off the lapels of his jacket, adjusted his tie, before he turned toward the Wayne siblings. "Shall we?" Alfred motioned toward the door to the front of the store. Greer nodded her head as she pulled Bruce with her into the store behind Alfred.

They first walked to Bruce's section of the store. It was going to take him longer to find something and get it fitted than it was for her to find a dress. Or at least, in theory, that's how it was supposed to work.

Greer walked beside Bruce as he went through the racks of suit coats. Every once in a while, Bruce would pick one, but Greer would put it back on the rack which would frustrate him. She knew that Bruce was trying to act more grown-up and in a sense, become the man of the house, but having your big sister disagree with your decisions was embarrassing. After about the fourth time, Greer took a hint at Bruce's frustrated groan and went over to the ladies section to find a dress while allowing Alfred to help Bruce instead. It was probably for the best because Alfred wore suits more often than she did.

There weren't too many people in the store. Although, to be honest, she didn't expect anyone else to be in the store. Alfred must not have demanded that they have the place to themselves. He only concerned himself about the paparazzi, but sometimes the people of Gotham were just as bad, trying to snap pics or sell fake stories of an encounter. If it was money they wanted, Greer would rather just give them the money than have to go through all the tabloid junk, but life didn't work that way.

Greer glanced out the window to find men with cameras waiting to snap something from outside the window. She made sure to try and walk with her face away from the glass windows, despite having pulled her sunglasses back over her eyes again. She didn't need her face in the papers again. It was hard enough explaining to Bruce the picture with the officer from that night when he saw it. The tabloids went wild, everything was utterly fabricated. It no doubt sold a bunch of money. Greer was just thankful that Bruce understood, but it wasn't an easy thing to explain to a kid.

She wandered through the racks of dresses. Most of the seemed hopeful and cheery, two things Greer Wayne was not. Their bright colors weren't appealing, not to mention that she was in mourning and black was the expected color, not that she minded terribly. Greer picked a few black dresses off the rack and headed back to the dressing room to try them on.

Quickly closing the door to her small room behind her, Greer leaned back against it and slowly exhaled. Shopping used to be something she enjoyed...something she enjoyed with her mother. She rubbed her hand over her face before she tried on the first dress. It was a little too snug for her liking so she took it off and placed it back on the hanger. She wanted to be able to breathe tomorrow. Although passing out and not seeing all those people didn't seem such a terrible alternative.

Reaching for the second dress, she slipped it on over her head before she sucked in her stomach for a moment. You couldn't really tell the difference from the way the dress hung. Greer sighed and shrugged her shoulders before wanting to get a better look at herself in the dress with the help of a three-way mirror.

With her feet bare, Greer's feet padded across the carpet until she stood in front of the mirror. She once again pushed her sunglasses back on top of her head before she rested her hands on her stomach and looked in the mirror. Turning from side to side, she scrutinized her appearance when an attractive blonde woman walked back into the dressing room area with her hands full. Greer quickly removed her hands from her stomach and put them behind her back as the woman looked at her.

"I wouldn't get that if I were you," the blonde woman said somewhat annoyingly. "It's not very flattering on your figure."

Greer blinked rapidly. "Ex-excuse me?" she stammered. Just who did this lady think she was? She hadn't asked for an opinion, but then again, Greer got unwanted opinions quite frequently. She took a deep breath and sighed, forcing a fake smile.

The woman also gave a fake smile before responding. "It looks like you're wearing sackcloth. You won't be turning any heads in it, that's for sure. Believe me, if I wore that, my fiance he wouldn't give me a second look."

Greer wasn't sure if the woman was trying to be sincere or not. So she simply responded, "It's for a funeral. Besides, it will probably be covered up with a coat anyway."

"Oh. Right." There was an awkward silence between the two women. It was as if the woman had been so caught up in herself and in the moment, that she hadn't realized why Greer would possibly be dress shopping for a black dress. The woman chewed her bottom lip. "I was just trying to help, you know."

Greer awkwardly nodded her head before she turned on her heel, but the woman wasn't done yet.

"You're Greer Wayne, aren't you?"

Greer turned to look at the blonde over her shoulder. Childishly, she wanted to respond well, duh, but now certainly wasn't the time for such a response. Instead, with a slightly worried expression, she bit her bottom lip and gave her head a slight nod.

The blonde squealed a bit before rushing up to Greer and grabbing her arms. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. But wait 'til I tell Jim that I met Greer Wayne today. That I gave Greer Wayne fashion advice…"

"I-uh-I should probably change." It took the blonde woman a moment to understand. She glanced down at her hands resting on Greer's arms before she quickly removed them and muttered an apology.

Greer didn't say anything. She just escaped back to the dressing room. She sat down on the bench in the room and rested her elbows on her knees and her head on her hands. For being something she had once enjoyed, Greer wasn't finding shopping much of an enjoyable experience. It made her miss her mom.

Standing up, Greer examined the dress once more. There was nothing wrong with the dress. Besides, something about the woman irked her and made her want to buy the dress out of spite. So, that's what she was going to do. She was going to buy a dress out of spite. Sometimes grief made one do crazy things.

Greer quickly changed back into the clothes she had been wearing before she walked out of the dressing room, holding onto the dress she had been told not to get. Greer peered out to see if the woman was nowhere in sight. Thankfully she wasn't anywhere that Greer could see. So, Greer quickly escaped and walked quickly back over to where her brother was now standing on a platform in front of a tailor.

Slumping into a chair, Greer rested the dress on her lap. "How much longer?" she asked her brother.

It was Alfred who answered. "Lawrence just began measurements," he commented. "Have you more pressing matters?"

"No. I was just wondering." Greer sighed before she folded her arms across her chest and crossing her legs. Alfred didn't miss her looking around the store before she nervously bit her bottom lip. He could tell that she was just about spent.

"Change of plans, Lawrence. Would it be possible to deliver this to the manor when you're finished with it?"

Lawrence nodded. "Yes, of course. I will see to the delivery myself," he responded as he put a pin in the suit coat Bruce was wearing. "Miss Wayne, does the dress need any alterations?"

"I-uh-no, it's fine, thanks," Greer responded somewhat distractedly as she smoothed the fabric of the dress.

Lawrence looked at her quizzically. She always had dresses altered. Always. He had never known her to just take something off the rack. Never. "You're sure?" he asked somewhat hesitantly. "It would be no problem to do so."

"No, thanks," Greer said rather lamely.

"If you're sure then." Lawrence glanced at her and Greer nodded her head. "Then just let me take that from you. I'll be sure it's delivered with your brother's."

Greer didn't say anything as she handed the dress over to him. Instead, she watched as he set it down on the back of a chair beside Bruce's pants. Lawrence finished up Bruce's measurements and Bruce changed back into the clothes he had come to the store in.

"That will be all, Lawrence. Thank you," Alfred said shaking hands with the man. "Now then, Master Bruce, Miss Greer, we best be off."

Alfred, Greer, and Bruce exited the store through the back. This time, police officers had set up a barricade and were waiting in the back to keep the paparazzi from getting too close. Greer couldn't help but look for the detective from a few nights ago, but obviously, he wasn't there. She slumped into the car after her brother. Bruce rested his head on her shoulder once they were buckled. Next stop, Wayne Manor.

Later that night, after Bruce had gone to sleep, Greer sat on a sofa in front of the fireplace in her father's study. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't do this. She couldn't say goodbye. As much as she tried to convince herself that she had to do it for Bruce-it wasn't enough. It just hurt too much. She hated acting like everything was fine when it obviously wasn't. Thinking she heard footsteps, Greer quickly wiped at her face to hide the evidence of her tears; but no one entered the study. She must be hearing things. Greer then plopped onto the rug and curled up into a ball as she thought of her parents.

Greer remembered when she was very young and on occasion when her father allowed her in his study, she would often curl up in front of the fireplace like she was doing right now. Her father would stop whatever he had been doing and lay beside her, holding her tight against him in his strong arms. She wished that he was here right now, holding her and comforting her. That he would just pop out and tell her that it was all some sort of sick joke.

But that was childish. He was gone...and she should have been there that night. Despite what Detective Gordon had told her, she couldn't help but wonder how things might be different now if she had been there. What if she had been there to protect her family? In her head, every time she managed to push her parents out of the way or sometimes she would even kick the creep's ass. But then her mind couldn't help but wander to the scenario where it would have been her that died that night. She knew it wasn't right to think like that, but then again, that would never be reality. The reality was that she was lying in her deceased father's study...alone.

Greer cried herself to sleep as Alfred watched from a small opening of the door. He knew how much she was hurting. He also knew she was trying her best, but the amount of responsibility thrust upon Greer was overwhelming. Some of the responsibilities she wasn't even aware of yet. They wanted to wait until the funeral had passed before they rested the burden on the shoulders of a young twenty-one-year-old woman.

Seeing that Greer's breathing had significantly slowed, Alfred walked into the room. He grabbed a pillow and blanket from the sofa before walking over to Greer. Placing the pillow under her head and the blanket around her body, Alfred wished there was more he could do for her-but how she got through this situation was up to her. This was either going to make or break her.

Edited: 7/30/18


	3. When It Isn't Like It Should Be

The morning of her parents' funeral, Greer Wayne found herself shaken awake by her little brother, Bruce, who straddled across her stomach. He was already dressed in his new suit and had a frazzled expression on his face. Greer put her hands up and on his shoulders to stop him and let him know that she was awake. She tried to turn her head to look out the window to get an time estimate, but she discovered a kink in her neck. Her hand immediately flew to her neck as she groaned in pain and fell back against the pillows once more. A slight sneer came over her brother's face.

"Get up," Bruce said childishly pushing his sister. "We can't be late. We just can't be."

"We won't be," Greer moaned in response. Bruce gave his sister a disbelieving glance before he folded his arms across his chest. She wasn't so sure why he wanted to be prompt to the funeral, but it was obviously bothering him. So, Greer repeated herself for his sake. "We won't be."

"Then get up." Bruce smacked her with a pillow he had grabbed from the sofa. Greer stole the pillow from him and threw it toward the middle of the room. He gave her another childish expression. But it shouldn't have been unexpected. Bruce was still a child afterall.

"I would if you weren't sitting on me." Greer looked directly at Bruce who mouthed the word oh before he rolled off her. She took a deep breath before she held her hands out in front of her. "Help me up." Bruce nodded and took her hands before he attempted to pull her up, but he barely lifted her back from the floor and she went falling back to the ground. "Oh c'mon, you weren't even trying." His grip on her hands tightened before he pulled with all the force he could muster, grunting as Greer managed to get in a sitting position. She released his hands causing him to go flying back onto the sofa as Alfred walked in. Greer quickly looked away before she stood up and rubbed her sore neck.

"How'd you sleep?" Alfred asked.

"Terribly, if I'm being honest."

"I suggest you get dressed and ready, Miss Greer. We need to be heading out shortly so we can make a stop first."

"Why don't you and Bruce go on ahead without me. I'll meet you there." She hoped that by suggesting this, Greer could calm some of Bruce's nerves about being late for the funeral. Alfred looked hesitant to agree to this, but Bruce immediately agreed to it for him. "There, it's settled then."

Greer walked over and hugged Bruce and kissed the top of his head before groaning in pain, having forgotten about the kink in her neck. Bruce looked up at her with a concerned expression on his face but Greer immediately shot back that she was fine. She just needed some ibuprofen and she would be all better. After giving Bruce's shoulder a gentle squeeze, Greer walked toward the door yawning and stretching.

"I will call for Reginald, then, Miss Greer," Alfred announced. Greer poked her head back through the doorway and nodded her head slowly. Reginald was the on-call driver for the family. He was the one who usually drove Greer to and from places if she didn't take a taxi. Although, Reginald hadn't driven her anywhere in a while because before her parents' deaths, Greer had tried to live somewhat normally. Something she wasn't going to get to do much of anymore.

Slowly, Greer made her way upstairs and to the bathroom. Knowing that she didn't have a lot of time to get ready, she quickly hopped in the shower to take care of the greasy mess that was her hair. She let the water cascade over her petite frame. The warm water felt nice against her stiff but she knew that she had to make it quick. She was prone to taking abnormally long showers and she had to hurry to make it to the funeral.

Once her shower was over, Greer tip-toed across the tile flooring in the bathroom until her feet stopped on the plush bath mat in front of the vanity. With her hand, she reached across the vanity and wiped the foggy mirror to reveal her reflection. She still had her hair and makeup to get done which made her heart hurt. Her mother had always helped with her with hair and makeup before big events. This time she was on her own. With a sigh, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail that she pushed somewhat up with a hair clip. Her hair fell down on top of the clip, hiding it and Greer pulled her bangs down. She examined her appearance from side to side, not quite sure she liked what she saw; but she supposed it didn't really matter. Applying a natural looking makeup to her face, Greer walked over to her room to put her dress on.

Slipping the dress over her head, careful not to mess up her hair and makeup, Greer smoothed out the wrinkles she had created. She slowly exhaled before walking to her closet to find a pair of shoes and jewelry. Finding an old pair of black heels that fit snugly, Greer slipped them onto her feet; but she was reminded that she had taken all her jewelry to her apartment downtown. Her mother had warned her against taking everything with her because of the value, but she hadn't listened.

So, nervously, Greer crept into what used to be her parents room. She intended to borrow some of her mother's jewelry. Greer held her breath as she took a few steps into the room. The bed stood there perfectly made, the sunlight poured softly through the curtains, and her mother's perfume haunted the room. The room looked like nothing had changed; but Greer knew better. Her parents hadn't slept in this room for days and that very thought made her eyes start to water. She couldn't bring herself to walk any further into the room. Instead, she quickly ran out of the room and shut the door behind her, hopefully sealing a bit of her parents inside. She hadn't expected to react that way. She had been in that room hundreds of times before, but it almost felt wrong to go in there now. It almost felt like she was contaminating what was left of her parents by going in the room.

Grabbing a black wrap and her clutch, she tried her best not to start crying before she headed downstairs to meet Reginald and the car. There was a brisk wind blowing outside when she shut the front door of Wayne Manor behind her. Just as expected, Reginald stood there with the car door open for her. Her heels clicked as she walked across the stone to the car-a sound Greer hated, especially during moments when she didn't want to be noticed. So, she started walking on her toes until she reached the car and slipped inside. Reginald shut the door behind her before he took his place in the driver's seat. He shifted the car into drive and drove toward the wrought iron gates.

"Reginald, could we run by my place downtown first?" Greer asked as she leaned forward toward the front seat. "There's no way I can stand in these."

"Yes, Miss Greer," Reginald responded with a nod before looking back at his passenger in the backseat. Greer sighed and slouched back onto the seat as the iron gates to the manor closed behind them.

When they arrived downtown, there streets were crowded and there were no parking places close to Greer's building. Reginald drove around the block several times before Greer told him to drop her off on the corner and she would walk the rest of the way to her building. Once she exited the vehicle she immediately walked to the sidewalk, keeping her head down so that no one would notice her as she walked a couple of blocks to her place. Pushing her way through the crowd she passed by a coffee shop and ran into a man dressed in a suit and dark coat. With her head down, Greer muttered her apologies before she tried to keep pressing forward. But then someone started calling her name. In a panic, Greer started to run faster away from the voice. She didn't want to be noticed. Not now. The voice called for her to wait, but she continued to run until one of her heels snapped. She stopped momentarily to remove the shoe from her foot when and hand snaked around her arm.

"Let. Me. Go." Greer hissed trying to pull her arm free.

"Ma'am, stop. I'm not here to hurt you," a familiar baritone voice spoke softly. Greer stopped fighting and looked at the man who was gripping her arm to find that it was Detective Gordon from the other night. He released her arm and gently pushed them toward the building wall so that they weren't in people's walking path.

"Look what you made me do." Greer pulled the shoe that wasn't broken off her foot and held both shoes out in front of him. "Also why don't you call me Greer? I told you that you could."

"Well, why were you running from me?" He did have a point, but Greer was going to hold her own.

"You'd think it's something you'd be used to by now." Greer folded her arms across her chest and looked up at Detective Gordon.

"Funny." He gave her a faint smile before shaking his head.

"I know. I'm a regular comedian."

"Hey, shouldn't you be headed for the funeral."

"It's those astute reasoning skills that got you promoted, aren't they?"

"You're hurting, so I'm gonna ignore the sarcasm...Greer." Greer opened her mouth to say something, but no words escaped from her lips. Her mouth was agape for a few moments before she closed it and bit her bottom lip. "Let's try this again. What are you doing around here?"

"I needed to swing by place for shoes and now I really need to stop there since you made me snap the heel," Greer sighed as Detective Gordon nodded, appearing to almost be trying to hide a smile. But Greer continued, "My apartment is that one down a little ways."

"I'll walk you."

"You don't have to do that."

"You're right, I don't have to; but I want to."

"Well, we better hurry then." Jim nodded his head before Greer started plowing through the crowds once more. She was surprised when he gently gripped her elbow to guide her. "You don't have to do that either."

"I'm just trying to help, ma'am...I mean, Greer."

"I'm not some little ol' lady who needs help crossing a street."

"No, you're a little barefoot lady who needs help crossing the street."

Greer rolled her eyes at his attempt at humor but she continued walking. She held her clutch in one hand and her shoes in another as she walked beside Detective James Gordon through the crowd. "I-uh-I heard that you got the guy who caused all this. Thank you."

"Yeah, I'm just sorry that he won't stand trial for what he's done to you and your brother."

They came to a stop in front of Greer's building and Jim gently released her arm. "This is my stop. So, I'll just be going then. I can't go to a funeral looking like a mess." Greer entered the code to her building and the door unlocked. She was about to let the door shut behind her when Jim called her name once more.

"Hey, Greer." She turned around and looked at Detective Gordon who shifted uncomfortably. "You don't look like a mess. You-you look nice." Greer's eyebrows furrowed momentarily as Jim realized how awkward that came out. "You know the dress is nice and stuff-I mean, you look as nice as one can look for hurting like you are. Most people who are in pain like that don't look as put together as you do. I mean-you know, I'm just gonna shut up now."

Shaking her head, Greer said goodbye once more before she ran up the stairs to her apartment. She pulled her keys out of her clutch, dropping her shoes to the floor before turning the key in the lock. It clicked and unlocked before she turned the handle and walked inside her apartment. The first thing she spotted was a photograph of her and her family from her high school graduation which was framed on the wall. Seeing this tugged at her heartstrings. But it wasn't until she walked into her bedroom and noticed all the frames of her happy family, the unfinished paper, and the mug of tea on her desk that made her heart break. She should have been there.

If only she hadn't procrastinated the paper she would have been able to keep her promise and would have been able to go to the movies with her family. She knew this was a vicious unending cycle to get herself into again and again, but she couldn't help but go there. Detective Gordon's words rang through her head to not let herself go there, but she did. She didn't deserve to go to the funeral. She had failed her parents, so what right did she have to say goodbye? She didn't have any right. Greer collapsed on her bed and started to sob. Clutching her pillow tightly, she could feel the mascara running down her cheeks. Bruce deserved a better sister. Her parents deserved a better daughter. She deserved nothing but the pain and misery she was currently going through.

Still sobbing, Greer rolled onto her side and caught side of the photograph on her bedside table. The photograph had been taken when they were on vacation in London. Her father had taken the picture of Greer and her mother when they were atop one of those double decker buses. She could practically hear her mother's voice butchering a posh British accent as they took that picture from that memory. But that's all it was and all it would remain-a memory. She would never get to make new memories with her mother. Instead, she would have to cling to the old ones. Right now, all she wanted was her mother to come through the door and tell her that everything was going to be alright. She knew that through her grief she was beginning to sound like a broken record; but that was grief-it didn't really make sense.

There was a gentle rap on the door. Greer sat straight up like a meerkat looking from side to side. Had there actually been a knock? She was probably making things up. Greer rubbed at her mascara stained cheeks before glancing at her alarm clock and calculating that the funeral was going to start in fifteen minutes. But there was another sharp knock on the door. Barefoot and sniffling, Greer's feet padded across the floor until she was standing in front of the door when there was a third knock.

"Ma'am, I know you're in there," Detective Jim Gordon's voice spoke from the other side of the door. "I waited for you to come out but you never did. Are you ok in there?" Greer didn't say anything. Instead she just backed up and leaned against the back of her sofa. "Greer, c'mon."

"How'd you get in?" Greer questioned.

"I'm a detective, aren't I?" There was a moment of silence before Jim continued. "I told someone to buzz me in on official business for the G.C.P.D."

"Well, you can go now."

"You're going to be late for funeral."

"I'm not going."

"Don't do this. You'll regret it. Besides, what about your brother?"

"He seems to be perfectly capable without me."

"Just because he's capable of it, doesn't mean he should have to be."

"I'm not going."

"That's a mistake. Let me in."

"No. Leave me alone."

"Let me in or…"

"Or what? You'll break my door down?"

"If I have to."

"It that isn't abuse of power then I don't know what is."

"Your parents would want you to be strong."

"I tried! I suck at it!"

"Greer, just open the door….please?"

Greer stood there staring at the door as the tears stung her eyes. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone? He had done his job the night her parents had been brutally murdered. She didn't know why she did it, but she marched across the distance from the sofa to the door and flung it open to see him standing there. He looked startled to see that she actually opened the door, but Greer made sure to get the first word in.

"Why are you doing this? Why won't you just leave me be? Why do you even care?"

"Because I've been there, Greer. Because I know that while you're telling me to leave you just want to hear that you're not alone and it's not your fault. You're not alone, Greer. You're not alone and none of this is your fault. I've told you this once already but I will keep telling you until you believe it: there is nothing you could have or should have done differently."

She knew she should have been stronger but what she did next surprised both of them. Greer flung her arms around Jim and cried softly against him. Jim stood there awkwardly for a moment before he gently wrapped his arms around the young woman. As Greer's sobs softened she couldn't help but feel comfortable in the detective's embrace. She felt safe here-something she hadn't felt in a while normally having depended on herself for her own safety and comfort. He cleared his throat knocking Greer out of her reverie.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," Greer sniffled backing away.

"Don't worry, I won't arrest you for assaulting an officer," Jim said dryly. Greer wiped at her eyes before giving him a confused expression. "That was a joke."

"It wasn't funny."

Jim ruffled the hair on the back of his head with his hand, "Why don't I take you to the funeral."

"I'm already late."

"They're probably waiting on you."

"But the cemetery is…"

"Hey, you don't worry about that. Working for the G.C.P.D. comes with some privileges."

"I-I don't know."

"What would your parents want you to do?" There was a slight moment of silence before Greer announced for him to give her a minute. Jim nodded his head before he walked toward her phone. "Detective Bullock is down there. I'm gonna give him a call and let him know that...we got stuck in traffic."

Greer washed her mascara and tear-stained face before she slipped on a pair of black boots and walked back out to meet Detective Gordon. Together the two walked down to his car. Not wanting people to see her sitting in the back of a car belonging to a G.C.P.D. member, she climbed into the passenger's seat beside Jim. He gave her a half smile before he pulled a siren out and put it on the top of his car. He started it, put the car in drive, and then drove toward the cemetery.

As Jim sped through the streets of Gotham, Greer rested her elbow on the door and laid her head on her hand watching the world whir by them. Greer could feel herself shaking as they drew closer to the cemetery. The closer they got, the more cars that appeared. Her parents had been well-loved by Gotham and she had proven to be somewhat of an embarrassment to them. Well not anymore. She needed to be the daughter they had always wanted her to be. Something inside her had changed since her apartment and she wasn't sure what it was-but she hoped that it wasn't temporary.

Jim turned the siren off as they entered the cemetery and he stopped his car as close to the crowd as he could get. The crowd gathered was rather large. Greer took a deep breath before she stepped out of the car. Detective Gordon followed after her but she stopped and held out a hand to stop him.

"I'll come with you," Jim offered.

"No," Greer shot back too quickly. "I need to do this on my own."

"You don't have to."

"Yeah-I do. I don't need you to play hero for me. I appreciate it, I do; but this is something I gotta do."

She then closed her eyes for a moment before she opened them and walked toward the crowd of people with a purpose. She was about to commit her parents to their final resting place in the cold, hard ground. She could do this. She could do this. Those were the words she repeated in her head to herself. She was the daughter of Thomas and Martha Wayne. She was strong. She was brave. She was a Wayne. She could do this. She had to do this...for herself.

Greer pulled her wrap a little tighter around her as she walked across the grass to the place where everyone was gathered. She could feel all eyes on her as she walked over to Bruce's side. The priest glanced over at her. She nodded her head and mouthed the word sorry to him before she took her place beside her brother. He looked up at her with a solemn expression.

"You're late," Bruce whispered.

"Traffic," Greer whispered back. "I'm here now, that's what matters."

Greer reached for her brother's hand and entwined their fingers together. She breathed a sigh of relief when Bruce's grasp on her hand tightened. The priest then began speaking, but Greer kept her head held high despite the words the man spoke tugging at her heartstrings. She knew the paparazzi was going to have a field day with her being late to her own parents' funeral, but it was better than not showing up at all.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...Greer's heart swelled at these words. She closed her eyes as the wind whipped through her hair and she slowly inhaled the crisp air. When she opened her eyes, she and Bruce began the procession of placing red roses on her parents' caskets. Placing a single rose on her father's casket, she pressed a kiss against her fingers before pressing them against the casket. She repeated the same thing when she approached her mother's casket. As she walked back to her place, she caught sight of Jim standing beside his partner Harvey Bullock. He gave her a nod and she nodded back. Greer's eyes then watched as the caskets were lowered into the ground. Bruce reached over for her hand again and she rested her head against his head. Softly, she started singing a song their mother had sang to them hundreds of times as a lullaby when they couldn't sleep. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey...

The people behind them began to file orderly from the gravesite. Greer and Bruce stood there holding hand, standing tall together. When almost everyone had left, Alfred lightly touched both of their shoulders and told them that it was time to go. She looked down at her little brother and he nodded his head. Pressing a gentle kiss against his temple, they turned to follow the crowd with Alfred. As they got closer to the road, Greer saw Detectives Gordon and Bullock standing there, waiting for them. Gordon asked if he could talk to Bruce for a moment. Greer nodded her head that he could as she took a few steps to stand beside Detective Bullock. She knew she should say something to him, but she couldn't find the words. Instead, she watched Jim's interactions with her brother until the shook hands and parted ways. Bruce walked over to her and they were about to walk away with Alfred when her name was called from behind. Greer turned to see Jim standing there with his hands in his pockets. She gently pushed Bruce forward to keep going as she turned to face Jim.

"Greer, I know you said you didn't need me playing hero-but everyone needs one at some point. So, when you need one, you know where to find me."

Greer nodded her head before she turned on the heel of her boot and walked to catch up with her brother while the two G.C.P.D. detectives watched her walk away. She turned to look back at them once more before she blushed and then caught up to her brother. Greer wrapped her arm around Bruce's shoulder before she continued singing their mother's lullaby. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away.


	4. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Night had fallen over Gotham as Greer Wayne sat at a windowside table, drinking expensive wine, at Chez Vous, one of Gotham's finest restaurants. She fidgeted in her seat as one of her college friend's was dishing the latest gossip. Greer wasn't paying much attention to her friends, who had begged her to go out with them. She hadn't wanted to leave Bruce, but the guilt-trip laid on her by her friends was too much for her to handle. She suspected that they didn't actually want to see her. More than likely, they just wanted her money to foot the bill...like old times. She knew she shouldn't be so cynical about them. After all, they had been friends; but since her parents had died, she seemed to be questioning everything.

Greer rubbed at her temples before looking out the window at the night scene. Everything seemed oddly calm outside. Then again, when you compared it to the rich patrons inside whose mouths were flowing as freely as the champagne, anything would seem calm. Before her parents' deaths, Greer would have been enjoying the evening and the center of attention; but now, she had suddenly become an overprotective parent out for the first time while the kid was left with a sitter. She was confident in Alfred's ability to watch Bruce, but that didn't do anything to stop the feeling of worry in the pit of her stomach. Pulling her purse to her lap, Greer looked at her phone hoping to find a missed call; but alas, there was nothing.

With a sigh, Greer excused herself to make a phone call. She knew that it wasn't necessary; but it would give her peace of mind to hear that Bruce was doing alright. God, her life had been turned upside down; but what scared her most was that she didn't really miss her old life. It almost seemed foreign to her...a life that seemed a lifetime ago. Greer pulled on her red peacoat before she walked outside; but to her surprise the paparazzi was was waiting for her outside. Damnit. Shouts of "Greer" and "Miss Wayne" echoed through the chilly night air. She turned to go back into the restaurant, but she was immediately met with the bright flash of a camera. Greer held up her hand to shield her face from another shot when suddenly another man took a shot from another angle.

Feeling trapped, Greer took off in a sprint away from the restaurant despite the fact that she was wearing stilettos. The paparazzi quickly followed behind her. Greer's heart raced not only from the cardio; but the fact that she couldn't seem to rid herself of the damn paparazzi. She noticed an alley to her right, so taking her chances, she turned, stumbling for a few steps before running again. But it was no use, those pursuing her took notice of her route and followed behind her. She wanted to scream for help; but that would do more harm than good judging by the alley she had run into. She took another turn before she found herself face to face with a brick wall. It was a dead end. They were going to find her.

Suddenly, out of nowhere a girl hissed, "Lady, in here," before a small pair of hands reached out and snaked around Greer's arm. Greer found herself being pulled between two buildings with only a small gap between them. The girl pushed her farther into the small passageway before she hissed, "Get down."

Greer got as low as she could as the girl leaned casually against the wall, picking at her nails. It was obvious this girl had experience on the streets. She had a toughened expression on her youthful face. Greer determined that the girl had to be close to Bruce's age, yet she looked like she had lived a thousand lifetimes. The girl's blonde curls escaped the hood she was wearing as she motioned for Greer to get down farther.

"Hey kid! Where'd she go?" one of the photographers yelled as he smacked on the gum in his mouth.

"Who?" the girl questioned with an innocent expression. It was obvious this girl knew how to play dumb; but Greer just hoped that it would work out in her favor.

"Greer Wayne...you know billionaire heiress to the Wayne fortune. She came this way."

"What's it to you?" The blonde-haired girl uncrossed her legs and took a step closer to the photographers. Greer could feel her heart begin to race. Was the girl going to give her up? "I have information you want, but it's gonna cost you."

"For you, kid? Five bucks."

"Fifty."

"Ten."

"Forty, final offer." The man groaned before he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and handed the girl the money. "She went that way." Greer looked up to see that the girl was pointing in the opposite direction. "Pleasure doing business with you."

The Wayne girl listened to the footsteps grow faint before she stood up and breathed a sigh of relief. Greer stood up and watched the girl thumb the money in her hand. "Thanks, I owe you one," Greer said.

The girl examined Greer for a moment before she stepped out into the dead end alley. "Lady, you shouldn't be here," the girl said.

"It's not like this was exactly planned, you know."

"Yeah, well you gotta be careful. This place isn't safe...especially for you."

"It's hardly safe for someone like you either."

"Lady, I've lived here my whole life. I don't need your pity." The girl watched as Greer reached for her pocket. "Or your money, lady. I can do just fine on my own."

Greer's jaw jutted in annoyance at the young girl for a moment before she sighed. "Then at least tell me your name so I can properly thank you."

The girl eyed Greer for a moment, she almost seemed uncertain if she wanted to give up any information. The blonde-haired girl sighed. "Cat. I'm Cat," the girl answered as she folded her arms over her chest.

Greer stuck out her right hand toward Cat. "Well, thank you for saving me tonight, Kat. I'm-"

"I already know who you are, you're all over the papers. You're Greer Wayne, heiress of Wayne Enterprises." Cat rejected Greer's hand.

The Wayne girl slowly lowered her arm before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "If you knew who I was, why didn't you sell me out?"

"It was to my benefit." Cat pocketed the money she had received from the man in her pants before she wiped her hands on her thighs. "Because, like I said, you now owe me."

"You said you didn't want my money."

"I don't. Got enough off that idiot."

"Then what do you want?"

"You'll know when I want it."

"Of course." Greer sighed before she pulled her coat tighter and ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, thanks again, I guess. I should be going."

"I'll be seeing you." Cat stood leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest. Greer gave the girl a slight nod before she walked into the alley headed for Chez Vous. For a moment, she looked over her shoulder to see Cat inching toward a group of people Greer assumed to be homeless.

She then looked to her left to find kid, probably about sixteen, smiling at her. He was young and dressed for the streets, but he had a beautiful smile. Greer nodded her head in his direction and waved before she saw an older man holding an old soup can out to her. She stopped walking for a moment and reached for any cash she might be carrying in her coat pocket. Pulling out a twenty dollar bill, she walked over and put it in the man's can.

"Bless you," the man said.

With a smile, Greer nodded her head and then walked out of the alley, completely unaware of a vehicle headed in that direction.

Back inside Chez Vous, Greer returned to her seat. She thought someone would have asked where she had went...or made some mention of the paparazzi; but instead, they simply continued to talk and drink. This didn't really sit right with Greer. For supposedly being her friends, they sure didn't seem to care about her or her well-being. Greer reached for her glass of water and quietly sipped it as she observed her surroundings, feeling totally out of place.

A few minutes later, the waiter came by with their food. He set down a plate of lobster in front of her and Greer looked at him curiously before Tori responded, "We ordered for you, honey. It was expensive, so we figured you'd like it." Tori laughed at her own joke.

Greer pushed the plate forward with her napkin, "I'm allergic to shellfish."

"Oh my god, honey, I completely forgot." Tori looked at Greer sympathetically, but not apologetically. How had Greer not seen before that their friendship was purely based on her money?

While internally, she wanted to bolt; Greer knew that making a scene with the paparazzi so close was a bad idea. So instead she took a deep breath and said, "It's fine. I'll...just have a breadstick or two." She reached across the table for a breadstick.

As Greer nibbled on the breadstick, she watched out the window. To her surprise, someone was running down the sidewalk...being chased. It was the man from the alley who had smiled at her. Greer's eyes widened as she saw the man being grabbed on the other side of the window she sat next took. She got to her feet and knocked on the window. The attacker noticed her before he sent the kid hurtling toward the glass window...and Greer.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the guy crashed through the window, sending shards of glass at Greer before the guy smashed into her. Greer was crushed underneath him and on top of the table that collapsed. Not only was she covered in glass, but she was covered in food and the man responsible for all of this ran away.

Greer could feel her throat beginning to tighten as it became harder to breathe. The waiters pulled the guy off her; but that still didn't help her breathing issues. Slowly, she blinked, noticing that the plate of lobster and sauce was splattered all over her. In her final moments of consciousness, she heard someone shout for an ambulance before fading into blackness.

When Greer awoke, she was in a blinding white room with an IV attached to her arm and oxygen tubes up her nose. To her right, she saw Bruce sleeping in a chair pulled up to her bed...but it wasn't her bed. It was one of those hospital beds meaning that she must be in…

"Good to see you're awake, Miss Greer," Alfred said walking from out of the shadows. "Of course you both would give me a fright on the same night."

Greer tried to talk, but her throat still hurt and her voice was hoarse. Alfred walked over and handed her the cup of water on the tray beside her bed. He helped Greer sit up before she took several sips of water. "What happened?" Greer barely croaked out.

"Anaphylactic shock, I'm told," Alfred answered. "Not to mention the glass shards and the broken wrist."

"Not to me," Greer whispered. "To the man."

"Ah, yes, the man that fell on you. I'm told that…"

"Not him. The other one." Alfred looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Nevermind." Greer sighed before she reached out for her brother's hand which lay on her bed. It was bandaged. She then looked back over to Alfred, giving him an expression asking what happened to her little brother.

Alfred looked at Bruce and then to Greer, mulling over what exactly he wanted to say. "I should go get your doctor, Miss Greer."

"Alfred," Greer tried to say in a more threatening way, but it came out rather weak and pathetic.

"Your doctor will want to know you're awake."

Greer held her brother's hand as she waited for Alfred to return with the doctor. After the doctor examined her, he gave her some medication for the pain before telling her that her hospital stay was going to be extended. Honestly, she just felt tired; but the doctor insisted that she stay for further observation. With no choice in the matter, Greer attempted to itch underneath the bandages of her broken left arm; but Alfred quickly stopped her and made her lean back and relax. A half hour later, Greer let sleep overtake her.

Later in the morning, when Greer awoke again, Bruce was still in his chair, but this time he was reading a book. "Hey, baby brother," Greer said lightly, startling him.

"I'm not a baby," Bruce responded.

"You're still my brother though." Bruce rolled his eyes which made her laugh. Greer looked around the room, surprised not to find Alfred. "Where is he?" Greer asked her brother, knowing full-well that he would understand.

"He went to get you breakfast. Something about what they wanted to give you was completely unacceptable."

"Good, because I want to ask you what happened to your hand."

"I could ask you the same thing," Bruce retorted nodding toward Greer's bandaged broken left wrist.

"Someone fell on me. Your turn."

"It's nothing...stupid really."

"I assumed that much." Greer raised an eyebrow toward her brother.

"I burned myself," was all he said at first. Greer looked at him, telling him that she demanded to know more of the story. At first he looked hesitant to say anything, but then he cracked. "I don't know why I did it. I just did."

"I think I know why." Greer patted the bed beside where she sat motioning for Bruce to join her. Slowly he stood up and sat down beside her. Maneuvering the IV and her arm around her brother, she hugged him and kissed the top of his head. "It's ok to miss them, you know. Just don't do anything stupid."

"I should be telling you the same thing." Bruce looked up at her innocently. Clearly he had been worried about her. Greer kissed the top of his head again to which he responded with a groan.

"I can't control someone else's actions...only my own. Same thing applies to you, mister."

Alfred walked back inside carrying a plate of delicious looking food. "You have no idea what I had to go through for this, Miss Greer," he commented as he set the tray down.

"Hospital food would have been fine, Alfred," Greer chuckled.

"No, I'm pretty sure that it would have killed you before something else got the chance."

Alfred maneuvered the tray so that it was no in front of Greer. With Bruce's help, she sat up a little more before she picked up a fork with her right hand and looked at the plate before looking back up at Alfred. "Thank you, Alfred."

"You're welcome, Miss Greer."

Greer was no more than a few bites into her food when two familiar Gotham PD detectives walked through her door: Harvey Bullock and James Gordon. Bullock's facial expression was one of stone, but it was clear that Gordon was trying to see what was wrong with her. "What is the meaning of this?" Alfred questioned.

"We have a few questions for Miss Wayne, that's all," Bullock responded.

"About?"

"Well, she'll find out when you and the kid leave."

"You have no right…"

"I have every right, she's over age. She doesn't need you."

"Harvey," Gordon hissed.

"Miss Greer, you don't have to answer anything without a lawyer present," Alfred stated.

"No, I'll be fine. I haven't done anything wrong," Greer said to Alfred before turning and looking at Jim. "I'll answer whatever you want to know-but on one condition."

"What's that?" Jim asked as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

"He has to leave." Greer pointed to Harvey who exasperatedly groaned in displeasure, before she continued to speak. "I'll talk to you...but not him."

"You have got to be kidding me," Harvey scoffed before seeing Jim nod his head thoughtfully. "You aren't seriously considering…"

"Harvey, she's not in trouble at this point. Why don't you go get a coffee or something and I'll talk to her," Jim said to his partner.

Harvey pounded his fist against the wall in frustration before he shouted for Alfred and Bruce to get out. Once both of the men in Greer's life were out of the room, he reluctantly followed them out. Jim nodded in Greer's direction before he shut the door behind Harvey so the guy couldn't stand in the doorway and listen.

"So, Miss Wayne, I'd like to ask you about where you were last night," Jim said as he seated himself in the chair Bruce has once been sitting in. He sat rather stiffly, with his eyes on Greer. His gaze seemed rather intense, which made her blush.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's Greer?" Greer responded.

"One more, as always, ma'am." A smile played over his face which made Greer smile. He was doing it on purpose.

"I-uh, I was at Chez Vous last night, Detective." Jim nodded his head, as if he already knew that piece of information. Greer wasn't really sure where to continue from there. A lot happened last night. "Ok, this would go a lot faster if you were more specific in what you wanted to know."

Jim nodded his head again. "Your prints came back on a twenty dollar bill that was on my victim, not too far from Chez Vous."

"I didn't do it."

"I never said you did. I just want to hear your side of the story."

Greer repositioned herself on her bed before she began to spill every detail she could possibly remember. "I-I gave a guy a twenty last night because he looked in need. I was just trying to keep the karma going-you know? I-I stepped out of Chez Vous when the paparazzi swarmed in on me. I panicked and ran. This girl with curly blonde hair-said her name was Cat-pulled me into a passageway and hid me. On my way back to the restaurant I gave the guy some money to repay the kindness she had shown me. But the strangest thing happened. When I got back in the restaurant, this boy from the alley was being chased by some guy. The guy pushed the kid through the window-hence, this." Greer gestured to the cuts on her face from the glass and the wrist which was in a sling. "And I ended up here because of the stupid lobster."

"Lobster?" Jim questioned.

"I'm allergic to shellfish and someone's plate of lobster landed all over me."

"Right, I'll have to remember to protect you from shellfish." He had a gentle smirk on his face.

Greer rolled her eyes. "So, how'd I do? Did I pass?"

"Your story seems to match up with what we've gathered so far. But this guy that was chasing the kid, what can you tell me about him?"

"He-he was tall; but I mean, I guess everyone seems tall compared to me. I'd have to say he was probably about 5'10 with dark hair. He was dressed rather nice which struck me as odd. I mean, normally you think it'd be the homeless attacking someone with money; but it seemed to be the other way around. But here I am prattling on-it's not like the information I gave you is really going to help. Hell, I could have just described you."

"You're a little off on the height." Jim leaned forward with a smile on his face before he asked, "How are you, Greer?"

"Well, for someone who was almost killed by lobster last night, has a broken wrist from someone falling on her, and has a scratched-up face from a window breaking...I'd say I'm doing alright." He shook his head, slightly chuckling before Greer continued. "And you? How are you?"

"I'm-uh-fine. Been better." Jim suddenly stood up. "If you remember anything else, give me a call or swing by the station." He walked across the room and to the door. Greer watched him walk out the door before he poked his head back in, with an expression like he was trying to contain a laugh. She looked at him quizzically when he said, "And stay away from the shellfish."

"Ha. Ha," Greer voiced aloud as she rolled her eyes at him. With that, he left and Greer leaned back against her pillows waiting for her brother and Alfred to return. Whatever the hell was going on in Gotham-it wasn't good.


	6. A Damsel in Distress

It wasn't until after another night and half a day that Greer was finally released from the hospital. The doctors claimed that they were just trying to be thorough since she had almost died, but Greer had a suspicion that what they wanted more was Wayne money. Thankfully, Alfred had brought her a change of clothes because she couldn't very well go home in hospital clothes or the bloody mess of clothing she had been brought to the hospital in. So, Greer changed into the black and white striped long-sleeved shirt and black skinny jeans in her bag. She didn't have to worry about anyone barging in on her because Alfred had decided to bring Bruce home last night, leaving her alone in the hospital.

It was rather difficult to dress having a wrist broken, but once she was dressed, Greer walked over to the mirror to examine her face. Her bottom lip was stitched up from a gash along with minor scratches that covered her face. Alfred had forgotten to pack a hairbrush, so she threw her unruly hair up into a messy bun, another difficult task to do one handed, 9not wanting to subject herself to the paparazzi that was inevitably going to be there looking like a complete mess. It would have been different if they had told a truthful story every now and then, but Greer could already imagine what headlines were being spun. It no doubt involved her being wildly intoxicated the other night, rather than someone crashing through a window on top of her. No, in fact, it was probably being spun that she had been the one to crash through the window and hurt that poor kid. The very thought made Greer burn with anger, but unless she bought every newspaper in Gotham she would never be able to control what stories were printed. There was an idea-buy every newspaper. She made a mental note to look into the possibility.

Greer made sure that her sunglasses were resting on the top of her head before she grabbed her bag and walked to the nurses station. There was no reason she couldn't meet Reginald, her driver, downstairs. She had to wait several minutes for the paperwork to be printed before she could sign her release papers. Once the papers were signed, initialed, and whatever the hell else one had to do to those freaking papers, Greer headed for the elevator. Impatiently, she pressed the button down button several times before she pulled her aviator shades over her eyes, despite the fact that she was inside. When she stepped into the elevator a woman in glasses with a fake smile was already inside. Greer rolled her eyes under her shades before she stepped into the elevator.

"Fine day we're having today, aren't we?" the woman said sweetly as if sugar were dripping from her mouth.

"Yeah, sure," Greer responded rather grumpily.

"You're Greer Wayne, aren't you?"

"Why do people insist on asking questions they already know the answers to?" Greer pulled her shades down and looked at the lady over the top of them. The Wayne girl gave the woman a fake smile before she pulled her shades back over her eyes. Why couldn't people just leave her be? So she was Greer Wayne? Why the hell did they care? Greer slowly exhaled. She was crabby and she knew it, but who wouldn't be after the night she had had?

Thankfully, the woman was silent for the rest of the elevator ride. Greer fiddled with the contents of her bag as the elevator doors opened and she walked out, completely tuning out the words the woman spoke. "Your bad day is about to get a whole lot worse, Greer Wayne."

Greer checked to make sure that her sunglasses were securely on her face as she noticed the line of paparazzi standing outside waiting for her. How the hell did they always know where she was? Each photag was probably waiting to be the first to get the snapshot to their editor to be sold for an absurd amount of money...just to get the first scoop on Greer Wayne exiting the hospital. The whole thing was ridiculous, but what made it worse was that she never asked for this. It was thrust upon her being born a Wayne-something she just had to deal with. Although, she was rather thankful that they focused on her rather than Bruce. She was willing to suffer for her little brother, but not too willing that she wished for run-ins.

Looking for an exit strategy before she exited the building, she watched as her town car pulled up just outside the door. Greer kept her head down as the cameras began to flash and Reginald exited the car to open her door. Reginald didn't even look at her and kept his back to her as she stepped into the car. He didn't even show his face as he shut her door and then walked around to the driver's door. He slid into the car as Greer was trying to manage the seatbelt one handed. She was on her third try when the car began to move. Greer groaned in frustration when the person in the driver's seat said, "You don't have to worry about that seatbelt. It's not gonna help you anyway."

Greer slowly looked up in confusion until she looked at who was seated in the driver's seat. It wasn't Reginald. She squinted her eyes. The man looked awfully familiar. It took a couple seconds for her brain to make the connection. Then she gasped. It was the man from last night. The man who had sent the kid flying through the window at her. "Wh-where's…" Greer stuttered.

"Your driver?" The man questioned as he turned around to look at Greer with a phony smile plastered to his face. "He's currently...disposed at the moment."

"Stop this car."

"No can do little lady. We've got plans for you."

"What kind of plans?"

"Now what fun would that be if I told you?" The man chuckled to himself as he wove in and out through traffic.

Greer's breathing began to quicken. She needed to get out of there. Slowly, she brought her hand up to the lock only to find that it had been jammed in the lock position. She turned to the other side of the backseat to find that the same thing had been done to that door. She couldn't escape. The only thing left to do was to try and reason with the man. Leaning forward against the passenger's seat, Greer looked at the man's eyes in the mirror. "You know, you technically haven't done anything to harm me yet. Drive me to Wayne Manor and we'll forget this ever happened. I can pay you. Whatever you'd like."

"You see, if you hadn't talked to the cops, you wouldn't be in this situation, Miss Wayne."

"What I told them was useless information." At this point, Greer was desperate. "The only accurate thing I could give him was your hair color. There's no way they could figure you out based on brown hair. Do you know how many people there are in Gotham alone with brown hair? Well, I mean, I don't, but please you have to see my point."

"But you still talked to them. Can't take any risks."

"So what are you going to do? Kill me?" The man didn't answer but Greer could tell from the man's expression that he wasn't opposed to the idea. Greer then started to pound on the windows, hoping to gain someone's attentions; but after a few seconds she realized that her windows were tinted and that no one would be able to see her. The man chuckled at her poor attempt. So, Greer sunk down in her seat and waited for the inevitable.

Eventually, the car pulled into a warehouse near the docks. Then they just sat there and waited, which surprised Greer. Shouldn't the guy be torturing her now? Shouldn't something be happening? But instead, they sat there and waited. They waited in the town car until a yellow school bus pulled up beside the town car. "The Dollmaker will be pleased," the man whispered to himself, but just loud enough for Greer to hear.

Who the hell was the Dollmaker? Was it as literal as the name implied or was it some terribly coined nickname. The man who had kidnapped her got out of the car without saying a word to her before he walked to the other side of the bus. Greer tried to push against the locked door, hoping to make it budge, but it was no use. So, very carefully, she crawled into the front seat of the car. She knew the driver's door to be in working condition since she had just seen the man get out of it. After sitting in the driver's seat for a moment, Greer slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding before she opened the door.

She slipped off her black stilettos before she ran from the car in her bare feet. She pressed herself tight against the bus hoping not to draw attention to herself. Her breathing was labored as she looked up to see Cat in the window. What was Cat, the girl who had saved her from the paparazzi doing here? That was when things began to fall into place for her. These people were kidnapping homeless children. She had no idea why, but they were kidnapping children. Knowing that she was useless going up against the man and his partner, Greer hoped to make a break for it and alert the GCPD. But she had no sooner than formulated her plan when she was spotted. "Well, well, if it isn't Greer Wayne," a man whispered.

Greer turned to face the new man. Perhaps she could reason with this one. She held her hands up in defense as she slowly backed away from him. "I have money. Plenty of it. I can pay you…"

"You think I want your money?" the man scoffed as he took a step forward to close the gap. "We're getting plenty for bringing you in."

Bring her in? What could anyone possibly want from her? Survival instincts suddenly kicked in and Greer drew back her hand with a cast on it to punch the guy but he easily took hold of her arm before twisting it behind her back. Greer screamed in pain. He then wrapped his other arm around her neck, bringing her back against his body so that she was choking. "I was expecting more of a fight from a little rich girl like you."

"Please let me go. I won't say anything. I promise," Greer cried as tears began to stream down her face. All of a sudden everything seemed real. She was never going to get to see Bruce again….or anyone else that mattered to her. "Please?"

The man cackled before he pushed Greer to walk. She tried to fight him, but he twisted her broken wrist which caused her to scream. The pain only stopped when she took a step forward. So, she did. The man pushed her until she was on the other side of the bus, standing in front of the man who had taken her and the woman from the elevator. Greer's eyes widened as the woman smirked at her. "Miss Wayne, come to watch the show?"

Suddenly, children were being filed off the bus and into a shipping container. The kids looked at her with a mixture of emotions. Some were surprised to see her. Others looked angry at her. She wanted to tell them that she had nothing to do with this. That she was as much of a victim as they were, but the man's arm was wrapped around her throat and she could get much more than a few grunts out. The man who had taken her was busy counting the children but when the last child passed by a confused expression came over his face. "Funny thing. By my count, according to the sheet they gave us, we're one short."

Greer's eyes widened. Cat. She hadn't walked by.

The woman went back onto the bus, but once again came back empty handed. Greer hoped that the girl was able to get away and get help because she certainly wasn't going to be so lucky. "The Dollmaker will be so pleased with us," the woman said excitedly.

"Especially with this one," the man said pressing his finger to Greer's face before he swiped it down her cheek. "Now let's have some fun with her before she's delivered." Fun? Greer was pretty sure that their definition of fun wasn't going to match up with hers.

They led Greer into her own shipping container, one without children. From the looks of things, they had been expecting her. A chain was hung from the ceiling which they tied around her wrists and then pulled tight so that her feet were barely off the ground. The pain shooting from her wrist and down her arm was excruciating and she couldn't help the tears that streamed down her cheeks. He pushed her causing her to swing around the container and the pain too increase. "Please. Stop," Greer pleaded.

The man laughed. "The Dollmaker is looking forward to adding you to his collection, Miss Wayne." The man pulled something out of his pocket and it was too dark for Greer to be able to tell what it was. "The Dollmaker said we could do what we wanted as long as you were alive when you got to him."

He plunged something into Greer's stomach and suddenly she felt volts of electricity surging through her. If she had thought that her wrist was painful, the pain she was currently experiencing was exponentially worse. The pain stopped and Greer closed her eyes as he breathing was ragged. Suddenly, a slap came across her face. "I want you to watch what's happening to you," the man hissed.

The electricity surged through her body again And again. And again. Each time Greer screamed in pain until eventually her voice became hoarse. And eventually, it all became too much for Greer. She passed out and her body hung limply from the chains. The man laughed before he pulled a pocket knife from his pocket. "Now, where to start…"

"Nowhere!" a voice hissed from behind. The man turned around only to be met with Detective James Gordon's fist. The man fell backward against the container before sliding down to the floor. Jim shook his fist before he ran over to where Greer was hanging. "Greer! Greer!"

Greer groaned and her eyes fluttered open for a second. Jim unwrapped the chains from around Greer's wrists causing her to collapse hard onto him. He grunted as he fumbled to wrap his arms around her before he gently knelt to the ground with Greer in his arms. He gently pushed hair that had fallen into Greer's face out of the way as her eyes fluttered open for a few seconds. "De-Detective Gordon," Greer barely choked out.

"Hey, I got you, Miss Wayne. I got you." Jim gently rocked her before calling for backup. "Bullock! In here!"

A small smile spread across Greer's face as she fought to remain awake as her hand reached up and grabbed his shirt. "It's Greer," she managed to force out with a small chuckle.

"Well, you get through this and maybe I'll start remembering," Jim smiled gently as Greer closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head.

Harvey Bullock suddenly ran into the shipping container and scratched his head. "What the hell happened here?" Bullock asked as he stood at the entrance to the container before he took a few more steps inside.

Jim looked over his shoulder at Bullock. "I punched him," the younger man said with a shrug.

"I can see that," Bullock said sarcastically as he bent down and poked at the man's face. "How's the girl?"

Jim looked down at Greer before looking over to Bullock. "I think she's gonna live, but she's gonna need medical attention."

Greer started to slowly shake her head. "No," she groaned as she shifted in his arms. "No hospitals." She had just been in the hospital and there was no way she was going back. All she wanted was to go home.

"You're hurt. You need…"

"No hospitals."

"You heard the girl, Gordon, no hospitals," Bullock said as he stood up and then kicked at the creep who had attacked Greer. "Besides, I'm sure she can afford home care." Jim shook his head as Bullock rolled the guy onto his stomach and cuffed him. "Aren't you headed that way anyway, Gordon?"

"This is against procedure," Jim grumbled. "Procedure says…"

"Screw procedure. This is Greer Wayne we're talking about, Gordon. When Greer Wayne asks you to do something, you do it."

"I don't like this."

"You don't have to," Bullock smiled before he winked in Greer's direction. "Now, I'll take care of this bastard. You make sure Miss Wayne is taken care of...and that's an order."

Jim helped Greer to stand, but once she was upright she leaned heavily against him. He also smelled really good, not that she was trying to notice that detail about him. They stood there for a few second with Greer leaning against him before he tried to help her take a couple steps. She was too tired so that she practically collapsed into Jim's arms again after one step. Jim muttered something to himself before he reached down and wrapped his arms under Greer's knees. He then lifted her so that he was carrying her like a small child. She wasn't very heavy and she seemed tiny in his arms as she buried her head into his chest and her hand clung to his shirt.

With Greer in his arms, Jim stepped out of the container. He looked back at Harvey who talking trash to the perp before he headed for the exit to the warehouse. Looking down at Greer, he felt almost a sense of pride. This was what he had signed up to do-to save people, but there was also a feeling he didn't recognize as he examined her delicate features. He just shook it off.. A young girl with curly hair looked over curiously, but Jim just nodded his head and walked outside.

Suddenly, flashes of cameras blinded him. How the hell had they gotten here so fast? It was almost as if they had obtained a police radio and followed them. Jim wasn't happy about this. Instinctively, he pulled Greer closer to him wanting to protect her from this madness. Jim shouted for the photographers to get out of the way with a stern expression on his face. He carried Greer until they came to an ambulance. Greer saw Reginald on a stretched being lifted into another ambulance before she turned in toward Jim once more. After lifting her inside, she was placed on her own stretcher and she quietly whispered for him not to leave. So, Jim sat down beside her. "No hospital," Greer moaned.

Jim reluctantly nodded his head. "Wayne Manor," he told the driver as he flashed his badge. The driver nodded his head and then the ambulance took off for Wayne Manor. The paramedics worked on Greer, checking her vitals and hooking her up to an IV for fluids. Jim sat there silently with his hands folded as Greer lay there breathing slowly, staring up at the ceiling.

When the ambulance pulled into the drive of the manor, Alfred immediately ran outside. Greer could hear him swearing in his accent which made her smile slightly. "Don't get any dirt on his carpet," Greer attempted to joke with the paramedics, but none of them laughed. Instead, they lowered the stretcher from the ambulance and followed Alfred inside.

"I was not expecting this many for tea time," Alfred grumbled as he led them upstairs toward Greer's room.

Jim followed the paramedics upstairs but waited outside Greer's room with his arms folded over his chest. Every now and then he would peek inside to find the paramedics fussing over something. Bruce eventually found his way beside Jim, not saying a word but waiting for any news on Greer. A concierge doctor entered the room and eventually the paramedics walked out of the room. "How is she?" Jim asked.

"She needs her rest and plenty of fluids," one of the paramedics said. "But physically, she should be fine. She's in good hands with Dr. Nix. You both can go in and see her if you like."

Bruce immediately entered his sister's room. Jim nodded his head in thanks before he followed Bruce inside, but still stayed near the door and observed his surroundings. She had a large four poster bed with blue bedding and curtains. Her closet appeared to be a mess and her bookshelf was crammed full of books. He then looked at Greer who was still looking rather pale, but she was sitting up and talking with her doctor. He caught Greer's eye and she smiled at him and mouthed the words thank you. Jim only nodded his head before Alfred walked over to him. "How 'bout that tea time? Miss Greer could use her rest."

Alfred led Bruce and Jim downstairs for tea time and a discussion while Greer rested upstairs in her room under the careful watch of Dr. Nix. On top of the injuries she had received prior to being kidnapped, she had a fractured nose and burn marks from where the electricity entered her body. Other than that, she was just extremely tired and dehydrated. Dr. Nix had given her some medication to manage the pain and soon she was sleeping soundly.

The next day, Greer was still feeling rather tired, but by midmorning, she had grown restless and was driving Alfred nuts. Eventually after Greer's persistence, he allowed her to head into town. It was either that or she said she was going to go on her own. At least he could help her if he went with her. First, they stopped by the hospital to visit Reginald. He had a nasty concussion but he was going to be released that day. The guy had apparently hit him across the head and then stuffed him in the trunk with a gag over his mouth.

After the hospital, Greer insisted on visiting the GCPD...and this visit she wanted to do alone. Alfred reluctantly stayed in the car as Greer slowly made her way into the GCPD. She had to be directed to Jim Gordon's desk, who sat at his desk staring at the morning's paper. The front cover picture was of him carrying Greer out of the warehouse. "At least you look good...in that picture," Greer commented from behind him.

Jim quickly turned around to see her standing there with her hair down and her arm in a sling. He had to admit that he was surprised to see her. "Greer what are you doing here? How are you doing? You should be at home."

Greer held up a hand for him to stop talking. "I don't plan on staying long. You said that I could ask you for anything, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm tired of being helpless billionaire Greer Wayne always depending on others to save her. So you're going to help me change that. I want you to train me."


	7. Turning Tables

Greer Wayne stood outside the gym dressed in workout clothes and sunglasses. She stood there with her hands in her pockets and slowly bounced on her toes as she nervously waited. She had wanted to get started right away, but Jim had insisted that they wait at least a week to give her hand some time to heal. But Greer was finding that it wasn't so hard to push through the pain. In fact, her pain seemed to push her to want to do more.

A black car pulled into the parking lot and parked. Jim Gordon exited the car. He saw Greer waiting by the door and his brow furrowed before he looked down at the watch on his wrist and then back up to Greer again. "I thought we said six," Jim called as he slung his gym bag over his shoulder.

"We did."

"It's half past five." He slammed his car door shut and began walking closer toward her and the gym.

"I know. I got here early. I just wanted to make sure you knew that I was serious about this. That it's not some fleeting notion of some silly rich girl trying to waste your time. I know what the papers say about me."

"I've never thought of you as some silly rich girl." Jim opened the door to the gym and held it open for Greer to walk through. "And for the record, I never read the gossip column. It gives me a headache."

Greer took a step closer to him and then stopped. She raised herself to her full height and then looked up directly at him. "I want to do this."

"Yeah, I kinda got that when you asked me last week..and then the multiple phone calls...and the doctor's note clearing you for activity which I'm pretty sure you either forged or coerced a doctor into signing."

Greer smiled at his last statement. "I'm Greer Wayne. I didn't have to do either." She flipped her ponytail and turned to walk into the gym. Jim shook his head with a slight smile on his face before he followed her inside. Greer removed her sunglasses when she realized that the only other person inside the gym was the guy at the desk.

"Morning, Sean," Jim said waving at the guy before he dropped his bag on a bench.

"Morning, Jim," the man greeted without even looking up from his newspaper. Greer tried to shield her face from the guy with her hand as she walked by him, but she quickly noticed that he wasn't even paying any attention to her. She stood there in shock. It was a rare experience not to be mobbed by people or go unnoticed.

"You coming or not?" Jim called as he looked over his shoulder at Greer.

"Yeah." Greer walked up to Jim who was stretching his arms behind his head. She mirrored his action before asking. "What's first?"

He just smiled before mumbling, "You'll see." After a few minutes of stretching, Jim and Greer walked over to a treadmill. Greer looked at it with a confused expression on her face. "It's a treadmill. You run on it," Jim said leaning against the piece of machinery.

"Really? I never would have guessed." Greer responded sarcastically with her hands on her hips. "I thought you were going to teach me something. I already know how to run."

"Not very well."

She looked at him incredulously. That wasn't really fair and she told him so. "Every time you've seen me run I haven't been in shoes meant for running," she argued.

"How often do you actually wear shoes meant for running?" He raised an eyebrow at her fully getting his point across.

"Touche."

"Besides, your doctor might have cleared you and that gimp hand of yours, but it doesn't mean I have."

Greer shook her head and slightly narrowed her eyes. "You're mean. I'll have you know that I won first place at a track meet once."

"Yeah, you should've figured that out before you asked me to train you. Now up you go."

Jim patted the treadmill. Greer rolled her eyes before she took her zip-up hoodie off and hung it on the front of the machine. She placed her water bottle in the cup holder and then she reluctantly stepped onto the treadmill. Her hand moved to start it, but Jim started it for her. The pace was a little faster than she would have picked for herself. She would have preferred to start at a walking pace, but Jim had picked a jogging pace.

Greer hated running. She absolutely hated it. She often heard people exclaiming over the rush they got from running but all Greer ever got was sweaty. Jim stepped onto the treadmill beside her and began to jog. In the corner of her eye, she watched him run. He almost appeared graceful with her focused expression and steady gait. Greer could already feel her face beginning to get all red and blotchy. She dabbed at the sweat forming on the back of her neck.

"Ok, we've been at this forever. When can we stop?" Greer asked.

"It's been five minutes."

"Oh. My. God. Just kill me now. Put me out of my misery." Greer reached for her water bottle in the cup holder. She pull the top up with her teeth before she squirted water into her mouth. "It will be quicker and much less painful for the both of us."

"What about that first place at your track meet?"

"I might have left out the fact that I was thirteen...and it was a field event. "

Jim shook his head and laughed as he jogged beside her. "Which even he asked?"

"High jump. A lot of people write the short people off. I proved them wrong. That..or everyone else purposely scored low because my daddy donated money for the new track. There were rumors, but I never found evidence to their claims."

"Rigging a junior high track meet. That's a new one." Jim shook his head once more and then his focus quickly went back to the wall in front of him.

So Greer turned her attention to the lone television on the wall in front of the treadmills. The local news was playing. A man sat at the desk dressed in a suit. "And let's go live for the latest news on the situation with Claire Singer," the man announced.

"Thanks, Jason," Claire said as she brushed windswept hair from her face. "I'm coming to you with the latest wrinkle in a story that sent shockwaves through the financial world of Gotham. I'm standing before the home of Ronald Danzer, the man who bilked investors out of a reported half billion dollars in a vast Ponzi scheme. Danzer is currently out on bail awaiting trial…"

"So what do you think of that?" Greer asked as she pointed to the television.

"I've been told to say that I don't have a comment," Jim grumbled before he went back to concentrating on his running. Greer rolled her eyes. Jim Gordon certainly wasn't much of a running buddy.

When the running was finally over, they did crunches. When the crunches were done, they did V sit-ups. When the V sit-ups were done, they did lunges. When the lunges were done, they finally moved onto something that could prove to be a little more helpful: self-defense techniques. "It's about time," Greer muttered to herself as she pushed the stray tendrils of hair from her sweaty face. "I was afraid my wrist might actually heal before we got to anything."

"Funny." Jim walked closer toward her and grabbed hold of her good wrist and squeezed.

"Ouch! What the hell! Are you trying to break my good wrist too?"

"No. It's your first lesson. Real life scenario: someone grabs your arm. How do you get away?"

Greer tried to wiggle her arm loose, but his grip remained tight."Well, I'd probably kick 'em where the sun don't shine."

"Alright. Give it a try." His tone seemed to challenge her.

Greer wasn't sure it was an appropriate place to be trying to kick him, but he told her to. So she did. She kicked, but he quickly moved out of the way of her kick. So, she tried again. She missed again. "Oh, c'mon, not everyone is going to be able to dodge like that."

"Where'd you learn that?"

"High school."

"We're not in high school anymore, Greer."

"I know, but I also know that a drunk guy isn't going to be able to move like you are. Now, can you let go?"

"Not until you get out of this."

"And how exactly do I do that?" Greer looked up at Jim with a slightly annoyed expression. But truth was, it was all an act. Despite the fact that she did hate this sort of thing, this was probably the most real she had been with anybody in a long time. She then smiled at him. "Please?"

Jim gave her a half smile before he said, "This is a simple one hand, one wrist scenario. I have one hand on one of your wrists…"

"Yeah, I got that much from the hand on my wrist." She smirked at him.

But he didn't miss a beat. "You need to take a step back for stability and relax your wrist. The tighter your wrist is, the harder it is to turn it."

"Step back." Greer took a step back. "Wrist relaxed. Now, what?"

"You're going to want to rotate your wrist toward my thumb because my grip will loosen and you should be able to retract your hand. Give it a try."

"Rotate wrist." Greer rotated her wrist and felt his grip loosen. "Retract hand." She pulled her hand away. "Voila!" She threw both her hands up in the air in celebration, but Jim quickly took hold of her wrist again., gripping it tightly above her head. "Hey! No fair!"

Still holding her arm above her head, he took a step closer to her and then looked down at her as he spoke. "An attacker isn't going to be fair. You need to make sure that you prevent your arm from being grabbed again...like I just did." Greer groaned and rolled her eyes. "Oh, and don't say all your steps out loud. Your attacker may be idiot enough to go after you, but I doubt he's that much of an idiot not to understand what you're doing. You need to make it seamless and quick."

Jim lowered her arm so that it was dangling between the two of them once more. She looked at him and slowly exhaled, trying to remember all the steps in her head before she tried them. "Alright," she whispered. She took a step back and relaxed her wrist. Then, she rotated her wrist and as his grip loosened she pulled her wrist away and put both hands behind her back.

"What the hell?" Jim grumbled before he walked away from her.

Greer scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. "You know, I was expecting a good job or something at least somewhat nice."

But Jim's was distracted by the television which he stood in front of. "Sean, turn the volume up!" Jim shouted over his shoulder with his arms folded across his chest.

Greer slowly walked over to where Jim stood in front of the television. She looked up as the camera focused on a balloon rising higher and higher into the air. "What is it?"

"That's not just a balloon." He pointed to the TV. "Ronald Danzer was handcuffed to that weather balloon. That's not normal."

"In case you've forgotten, this is Gotham. Nothing is normal around here."

"I gotta go," Jim said gruffly before turning toward Greer. "Same time tomorrow?"

"I-uh-yeah...I mean, if I haven't scared you away already."

"You're going to have to try harder if you want to scare me away," he said with a gentle smile. "I don't scare easily." With that, Jim walked away once more. He grabbed his gym bag from the bench and then headed for the door.

When Greer arrived back at Wayne Manor, she headed directly for the kitchen. After that workout, she was hungry. She opened the refrigerator and began to rummage through it. "Who the hell is in my kitchen?" a familiar voice drawled.

Greer closed the refrigerator door. She turned around and smiled at Alfred. "I believe it's actually my kitchen...at least until Bruce is of age."

"Oh? Then please, tell me how to make eggs benedict."

"With eggs." She hopped up onto one of the stools with a smartass smile on her face and Alfred leaned against the counter across from her.

"And?"

"Fine, you got me. It's your kitchen. And since I returned possession of the kitchen back over to you, can you please make me some breakfast? I'm starving. Who knew working out would cause such an appetite."

"Science, Miss Greer. I believe science explains that." Greer shook her head at Alfred. "How was your time with Detective Gordon?" Alfred asked pointedly.

"It's not like that," Greer said with a blush. "He's just doing me a favor and helping me train. That's it. Besides, he has a girlfriend...or a fiancee...or something. It's strictly professional."

"Your face says otherwise, Miss Greer." Alfred looked at Greer in a fatherly manner. "I don't want you getting overly attached to him. Mixing business with pleasure isn't a healthy thing...filling your head with romantic notions."

Greer was silent for a moment. "You're reading too much into things," she finally said after a minute.

"Am I?"

"Yeah, you are. Now, can we get back to breakfast, please?"

"I need to go wake Master Bruce and then I'll whip something up."

"Let me." Greer jumped from the stool and landed swiftly on her feet. "You worry about that food." She winked at Alfred before she walked to the staircase and headed upstairs.

Greer's hand trailed the smooth wood paneling as she walked down the corridor toward Bruce's bedroom. She stopped for a moment in front of the portrait of the Wayne family. Her mother had insisted that they sit for the portrait two years ago. Bruce had been so fidgety that day, but their mother had remained patient with him. Greer missed her mother. Would her mother be proud of what she was doing? Taking her own life into her own hands. Wasn't it what her mother always wanted for her? Sure, it probably wasn't the way Martha Wayne had envisioned things for her daughter, but it was the hand Greer Wayne had been dealt.

After knocking twice on Bruce's door, Greer slowly opened the door to his bedroom. He was snuggled under his covers on his king sized bed. His clothes from the day before lay on the floor. Greer picked them up and threw them in his hamper before she tiptoed over to his bed. She leaned over to shake him awake when she spotted a manilla file folder under his pillow. Looking at it curiously, Greer pulled the folder from under his pillow and opened it.

Greer gasped in shock at the contents of the folder. Inside, were crime scene photos. There was a picture of her mother lying on the ground...dead. There was a picture of her father lying on the asphalt...dead. There were at least a dozen photographs and the police report. Still clutching the folder, she shook her brother. "Bruce. Bruce. Wake up."

Bruce groaned.

"I said get up. Don't make me get a glass of water."

His eyes opened as he slowly focused on his older sister. "Good morning to you too," he mumbled sarcastically.

Greer rolled her eyes at her little brother. "What's this?" Bruce focused on the folder in her hand. He looked a little confused before he reached under his pillow. "Yeah-you really should do a better job of hiding things you want to be kept secret."

"Are you going to tell?"

"Seriously? The first thing you ask me is are you going to tell? Not-I can explain Greer...or, it's not what it looks like...or I don't know how it got there, the magical police report fairy must have put it under my pillow."

"You always know when I'm lying," Bruce muttered.

"Oh-scoot over." Greer gently pushed her brother over to make more room for her to sit beside her brother. She slipped her feet under his covers and Bruce slowly sat up beside her, still leaning against his pillows. Opening the folder once more, she thumbed through its contents shaking her head. "How did you get this?"

"It wasn't very hard."

"That's not very comforting...a kid can access this kind of stuff. When I was your age…"

"When you were my age, Mom and Dad were still alive and you didn't have to worry about finding their killer." Bruce looked up at his sister innocently. His expression made him look years younger than he actually was.

Greer sighed. "Yeah, I guess you have me there. But, you don't need to find their killer. You're just a kid. Besides, Detective Gordon said that he would find the person responsible."

"Do you really think that he's going to?"

She hesitated for a moment, biting her bottom lip as she thought. "I think that he's going to do everything in his power to find the person. I mean, I have some doubts...but we have to trust someone, don't we? So, I'm going to trust Detective Gordon and that he will keep his word."

"I don't know that I can do that."

"Then trust in me, ok?" Bruce looked up at his sister and slowly nodded his head. "Good. Then I'll be keeping this." Greer hugged the folder close to her. "And don't you dare get another one. You're not the only one with contacts. Now, get your lazy butt up. I'm hungry and Alfred won't feed me until you're downstairs. Do you really want your poor sister to starve to death?"

Bruce gave a half smile but didn't say anything.

"Do you?" Greer insisted.

"No," he sighed.

"What was that?"

"No."

"Oh that's not good enough. I think I'm just going to have to tickle it out of you."

"Don't even think about it."

"I definitely thought about it...and I'm gonna do it." Greer tossed the folder at the end of the bed and then reached for her brother and tickled in the crook of his neck. He made a hissing sound before he started to laugh. He tried to push his sister away but she started tickling his stomach.

"Stop!" Bruce struggled between giggles. "Stop!" He slapped at his sister's bandaged hand and she screamed. Bruce quickly sat up with his eyes widened. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry."

Greer sniffled several times before she grinned at her brother over her shoulder. "Gotcha! Now get up. I want breakfast!" She reached down and grabbed the folder. She gently smacked the folder against the top of her brother's head before she hopped off the bed.

After she changed into jeans, flannel shirt, and t-shirt, Greer headed downstairs to the kitchen where Alfred was making pancakes. She sat down at the counter and drifted into thought. She recognized how much things had changed over the last year and that growing up was hard; but Greer knew she had to be strong. She needed to be her brother's hero.


	8. Ain't Nothin' But A House Party

Greer sat on the settee in her bedroom, still wearing her pajamas, watching the morning news. Apparently, the Balloonman, as the media had crowned him, had struck again. Only this time, he had targeted a cop, a crooked cop, but a law enforcement official nonetheless. It was frustrating the number of criminals in Gotham City. Sometimes, it didn't seem like it paid very well to be a decent person.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Greer called. It was Alfred, carrying a tray of breakfast. There was a plate of French Toast, bacon, scrambled eggs, and a muffin. A cup of tea was also on the tray. Alfred set the tray down on the coffee table. "Thank you, Alfred."

"You're welcome, Miss Greer," Alfred said. Normally, he would leave but he just stood there for a moment, waiting for her to allow him to continue. Greer nodded her head and he said, "I-I would like to speak to you about Master Bruce."

The Wayne girl raised an eyebrow curiously. "What about him?"

"He doesn't seem to be doing so well, Miss Greer. He hasn't eaten since yesterday's breakfast and he refuses to speak with me."

Greer sighed, "I'll talk with him. If you could please get a plate of food ready, I'll take it with me when I go see him...again. He's hitting those brooding, nothing's fair, teenage years, isn't he?"

"Yes, Miss Greer, I believe he is. Albeit, a little early, but can't really blame him after the loss of your parents." Alfred sighed, Bruce was clearly weighing heavily on his mind these days.

"Was I that bad?" Greer asked curiously, wondering if she had put her parents and Alfred through as much as Bruce had put them through. Her perspective on things was clearly different than her parents or Alfred's.

Alfred cocked an eyebrow. "Honestly, Miss Greer?" he asked. Greer nodded her head for him to continue and a small smirk played across Alfred's face. "You were worse. Much worse. Which is why I think we should nip Master Bruce in the bud before it escalates to your level of dramatics."

The Wayne girl nodded her head knowingly. Alfred was right. Bruce was both of their responsibilities to look after and make sure he went down the right path. But this sometimes frightened Greer because how was she supposed to help guide him when she was still figuring out her own path? She sighed. Things were certainly complicated.

Alfred turned to leave, but Greer wasn't finished talking with him. "Alfred! Wait, please!"

He turned toward her with a curious expression on his face. "Yes, Miss Greer?"

"I-I've been thinking about my company and what I can do to take it back." Greer wrung her hands nervously. She had a lot of time on her hands to be able to think about such things, especially having left Gotham University. Alfred looked at her to continue, so she slowly exhaled. "Have you ever heard the expression of catching more flies with honey than vinegar?"

Alfred chuckled. "Miss Greer, I believe that it was I taught you that expression."

"Oh. Right." Greer licked her lips and then continued. "Well, I was thinking, what if I were to do the same thing concerning Wayne Enterprises. What if I were to get everyone on my good side while I figured out my plan of action. I will lull the board into a false sense of security, letting them think I've moved on. Then they won't be in my way when I finally make my move."

"And what exactly are you proposing, Miss Greer?" Alfred shuffled his weight to his other foot and folded his arm across his chest. "Hmm?"

"Well…" Greer paused for a moment, unsure of how Alfred would respond, but Alfred was a key part of her plan. She then stood and walked closer toward him. She nervously tied her bathrobe a little tighter over her pajamas. "I was thinking of appearances can be deceiving."

"Miss Greer, is there a point to these idioms?"

Greer rubbed at her face. "Yes. What I'm trying to say is that maybe we should throw a party. A party for those at Wayne Enterprises and Gotham, who have been so helpful during this trying time."

Alfred stood there mulling over Greer's words. "Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but doesn't Wayne Enterprises already hold an event of their own?"

"Yes, but this event would be mine. I control the guest list. I control what people get to see."

He mulled the information over for a moment before he asked, "And what exactly is it that you want them to see?"

The Wayne girl nodded her head and tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. "I want them to see a girl who is perfectly content to being on the back burner of her company. A girl who is more than willing to let someone else to the heavy lifting while she reaps the benefits. The girl they always thought I was."

"Ah, yes," Alfred said nodding his head. "But there's one little caveat, Miss Greer, they already know that you do want your company. You told them as much at your meeting if I recall correctly."

Greer paused for a moment and bit her bottom lip. "Perhaps. Or maybe what they really saw was a bereaved young woman trying desperately to cling to her father's company out of grief. It was the only thing she had to hold onto. But Greer Wayne has since moved on to other things that are much more familiar to her."

Alfred nodded his head slowly and then his gaze on Greer intensified. "Alright, say that I'm in. How does one party going to change things? And if that is only your facade, what, may I ask, is your real plan?"

"One party isn't going to change things overnight, Alfred. But it will open doors to me that I haven't had an opportunity to use yet. Gotham likes Greer Wayne...at least the version they think they know. She's the city's princess, one most people would like to think they have in their pocket. As far as the real plan, I've hired someone to teach me business management and business law, not to mention help me accomplish that list of 100 tasks they think I can't finish. I will be prepared when I go in for the kill and take back what is rightfully mine."

"And when would we be throwing this party?"

Greer bit her bottom lip nervously before responding. "I was thinking Saturday?"

"Saturday? This Saturday? Are you mental?"

"Now Alfred, hear me out. With such short notice, only the people who really want to come will. It will help narrow things down a bit. It will also make those who can't make it, but still want to, desperate for my attention. I know it's crazy, but I've thought this through. Really, I have. And, I'll even let you put me to work, which you know I mean business if I'm allowing you to boss me around."

Alfred stood there for a moment mulling everything over. He could tell that doing this would mean a lot for Greer, but it would also mean a lot of extra work for him. Something he wasn't particularly fond about especially considering the condition of Bruce. But perhaps a party would help cheer the young lad up. Alfred curtly nodded his head. "We start after you have another conversation with that brother of yours."

Greer smiled softly. Maybe, just maybe this was going to work.

The next morning, Greer trudged slowly into the gym. She had been up until a godforsaken hour planning the party and cleaning with Alfred. She felt hungover only she hadn't enjoyed any alcoholic beverages the night before. All the consequences and none of the fun. She also regretted not canceling her gym date with Jim Gordon. But she didn't want to call him and risk his fiancee answering. She had done that once before and Barbara had been seriously pissed off she had called. But it wasn't like she had done anything wrong, aside from canceling a workout.

So, because Greer was so hesitant, she forced herself to get up and get her butt to the gym. She pressed her sunglasses tighter to her face before she walked through the front door. She was no more than a few steps inside when she heard, "You're late." She turned to find Jim Gordon standing there in shorts and a GCPD t-shirt. His expression was rather stern.

"I know," Greer groaned, slowly removing her sunglasses. "I was up all night. See? The dark circles and bags under my eyes don't lie." She pointed to the dark circles and bags beneath her eyes and gave him a puppy-dog look.

He cocked an eyebrow at her as he put her sunglasses back on. "Doing what exactly? Drinking?"

Greer rolled her eyes under her sunglasses. "Close. I was party planning with Alfred. A wild ride, I'll tell you. And I was even going to invite you, but if you're gonna be an ass I might have to rethink that decision."

Jim folded his arms across his chest. "I'll forgive you, but don't think it's because I want to come to your party."

"So you don't want to come to my party?"

"I didn't say that."

Greer smirked. "So you do want to come."

He shook his head. "Go get on a treadmill. It's a cardio day as punishment for being late."

Friday night eventually rolled around and everything was perfectly set. Through the week, Greer found that she and Alfred were actually made a pretty great party planning team. If she wasn't so set on taking back Wayne Enterprises, she might have thought twice about starting her own party planning business. Although, she could always do that once Bruce took over the family business. But until then, she would have to push that thought to the back burner.

Greer pursed her lips as she examined herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom. She wore a strapless red cocktail dress and black pumps. Her hair she left straight and let it fall at her shoulders. She took several deep breaths trying to boost her confidence before she called it good enough and went to check on Bruce.

Knocking on his door before she entered his room, Greer found Bruce relaxing on his bed fully dressed, but his bow tie wasn't tied. "Hey," Greer greeted.

"Hey," Bruce sighed.

"You're gonna scare our guests away with that attitude."

Bruce folded his arms across his chest. "Well, I don't want to go to your stupid party."

"Well, too bad. You're going to my stupid party." Greer crossed the room and jumped onto his bed, situating herself beside him. He looked at her oddly, but she just made a funny face at him. He rolled his eyes at her and she sighed. "I miss them too you know." Bruce looked at her in shock. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking there kiddo. You don't think it's right to have a party here without Mom and Dad." Greer looked at him pointedly before she continued. "But I really think that if they were here, they'd be happy we were doing this. That we were honoring their legacy and fighting to keep it alive."

Bruce shifted. "Yeah, I guess so." He looked at Greer and sighed, tugging at his untied bowtie. "I just can't tie this stupid thing. Dad promised that he was going to teach me, but…"

Greer booped her brother on the nose and smiled. "It's a good thing that Mom thought that every girl should know how to be able to die a man's bowtie for them, huh?" She resituated herself so that she was directly in front of her brother. Biting her lip as she concentrated on the bowtie, she managed to get it tied properly on her first try. She gave it a pat and smiled. "There."

Bruce gave her a weak smile. "If it's really lame, I'm coming back up here and playing video games."

"Deal," Greer said with a chuckle. "And who knows, maybe I'll even join you."

The Wayne siblings then descended the staircase to find their guests waiting for them. Greer plastered a smile on her face and waved as she held onto Bruce's arm with her other hand. She felt like she was walking straight into the lion's den, but she was determined to make it out alive. Most of the board from Wayne Enterprises was present. Her first target was Sid Bunderslaw.

Greer walked up to Sid and shook his hand. "Thank you for coming," she said feigning sincerity. "It really means a lot to me that you could make it. I'm so glad to have found a way I was better suited to honor my parents' legacies. I think they would be proud, don't you?"

Sid looked at Greer quizzically. Greer smiled again. "It-it's uh, it's a lovely party, Miss Wayne," he said.

"Thank you. I think my mother prepared me well for this." Again, Sid was hesitant to answer. So instead, he just nodded his head and Greer forced a believable chuckle. "Now, if you'll please excuse me, I need to make sure I make my rounds and say hello to all my guests. I wouldn't want to be rude, now would I? Again, thanks for coming, Mr. Bunderslaw. Although, I must confess that I was rather embarrassed after our last interaction…" Greer looked at the floor, adding to the act of embarrassment.

"Please, don't mention it, Miss Wayne," Sid said. "It's water under the bridge."

"Thank you. Please, enjoy yourself tonight."

With that, Greer walked away from Sid Bunderslaw. That was a little harder than she had anticipated, but thankfully her years of high school drama club were finally coming to use. She greeted several more guests before she grabbed a flute of champagne and took a swig. Then she took a couple more. She was definitely going to need more of these if she was going to get through the night in one piece.

After she snatched a few bacon-wrapped dates, Greer spotted Jim Gordon dressed rather sharply in the corner of the room by himself. They made eye contact and he awkwardly waved at her. So, Greer walked over to him, nibbling on her dates. "Nice party," Jim said as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"It's not bad. I wasn't sure you were actually going to make it," Greer responded.

"Neither was I," he joked.

Greer popped another bacon-wrapped date into her mouth and chewed. Once she swallowed, she surveyed the party and looked at Jim curiously. "Where's Barbara?" she asked. "Is she getting drinks?"

"She-uh-she didn't come." Jim rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. "She actually doesn't know I'm here."

The Wayne girl folded her arms across her chest. "And where does she think you are, dressed like that?"

"A charity thing."

That rubbed Greer the wrong way. Her face contorted slightly in anger. "Oh? So my brother and I are just a charity thing now?"

Jim tugged at his bowtie causing it to come undone. "It's not like that, Greer. She just...she just doesn't understand. Something inside her snaps."

Greer raised an eyebrow. "So lying to her and spending time with me is going to help you?" He sighed. "You should have brought her to show her that there's nothing for her to worry about. Now she's going to think you're sneaking around with me cheating on her."

His brow furrowed. "But it's not like that."

"The female brain is a complicated thing. It makes illogical jumps at times. Believe me. I know."

Jim groaned, knowing that Greer was right. He just hadn't wanted to upset Barbara. He was already walking on eggshells with her. His friendship with Greer Wayne didn't help matters with Barbara, but he had to admit he liked spending time with Greer. Despite the facade, she put up, she was probably one of the most down-to-earth women he knew. But he loved Barbara. And he wanted to marry her. There shouldn't be a reason he couldn't have both.

After several failed attempts to retie his bow tie, Greer moved in front of him. Like she had done earlier with Bruce's tie, she bit her lip and focused on tying it. "Why is it men don't know how to tie their own ties?" Greer asked.

"I know how to tie it," Jim grunted. "It's just being uncooperative."

"Maybe it's you and not the tie that's being uncooperative." Greer had to give up on her first attempt and try again. He looked down at her curiously as she looked up at him with a smile on her face.

Just then, a camera flashed outside the window they were standing next to. Both Greer and Jim looked out the window in shock when there was another flash. Greer froze. How had the paparazzi gotten so close? She looked at Jim who nodded and then took off in a sprint for the door. A few moments later, when Greer had managed to collect her thoughts, she followed after Jim.

She carefully teetered around the pool to where Jim had come to a half near the brick wall surrounding the property. Jim stood there scratching his head, slightly out of breath. "They managed to scale that wall," Jim said.

"I-I'm so sorry," Greer apologized.

"You're sorry? You're the one whose privacy was violated. The one who had someone sneak onto their property. Not me."

"I know. It's just that…" Greer let her sentence trail off for a moment before she finished. "Barbara." Jim shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded his head not saying anything. Greer sighed. "So now what?"

"We get back to your party," Jim said with a shrug. "Once those photos are published they'll be easier to track down and I'll work on getting you some justice."

"You don't have to worry about me, you know. I can take care of myself...or at least, I'm getting better at it."

"Yeah, but it's my job to protect Gotham and its citizens and you're a citizen of Gotham last time I checked."

Greer smiled softly as her heart fluttered. Sometimes, she wished he wasn't so nice to her. It would make thing easier. That...or maybe if he wasn't so handsome. But he was committed to someone else, committed enough that he wanted to marry that someone else. Besides, if she was honest with herself, things would never work.

So, Greer Wayne rejoined the party with her friend Jim Gordon. Not long after they went back in the house, they parted ways for the evening. He wanted to get back to Barbara and Greer wanted to find Bruce. She circled the party three times before she snuck upstairs to find that Bruce had fallen asleep still dressed in his party clothes. She took an afghan from his closet and gently draped it over him. She gently kissed her brother's cheek and headed back downstairs, naively hopeful that her guests would take their leave soon because it had been a long night.


	9. Truth, Bitter Truth

The morning following the party, Greer couldn't find the motivation to drag herself out of bed. She somberly stared at her nightstand with the morning papers stacked unevenly. It seemed like every newspaper and magazine had the picture of her and Detective James Gordon splashed across them. The photograph was completely innocent, but the headlines and stories that accompanied the photograph were full of scandalous untruths.

Many articles claimed that she was romantically involved with Detective Gordon and those were the nice articles. One paper speculated that Greer was somehow involved with the murder of her parents and that she had orchestrated their deaths to help promote Gordon. Another newspaper claimed that she and Jim were sneaking around Gotham heavily involved in a tryst behind his fiancee's back. A seedy motel even apparently had a witness that could prove their supposed frequent nooners.

It was utterly ridiculous the amount of untruths these places were allowed to print. Granted, she had known this all along, but somehow it seemed worse. It seemed worse now that she was trying much harder to play the responsible role rather than the role of the reckless partier. But it seemed like the tabloids weren't ready to let go of her old image. They would probably only ever see her as something she never had actually been.

The Wayne residence's phone had practically been ringing all morning. Alfred eventually unplugged the phone, but the damage had already been done. Greer Wayne's name once again tabloid fodder and Detective Jim Wayne's name had been dragged through the sludge with hers. If he never wanted to see or speak with her again, she would perfectly understand.

Early afternoon, Bruce wandered into his sister's bedroom. Greer was on her bed watching a VHS movie because her face was also being flashed across most TV channels. Bruce came in without knocking but Greer didn't say anything. Instead, she just lay there. "Is it true?" Bruce asked. Greer ignored his question and turned the volume up on her movie. He walked to the side of her bed. "Is it true?" he asked again.

"Is what true?" Greer asked.

"About you and Detective Gordon?"

Greer rolled her eyes. "When have the tabloids ever gotten anything about us right?" she asked him. "And why would you chose now of all times to believe them?"

"Because I've seen you with him." Bruce looked at his sister rather hesitantly. "I might be your younger brother, but I still know you better than almost anyone. You're different around him."

Greer looked at her brother rather pointedly with an arched eyebrow. But Bruce continued speaking before she could say anything. "I know you've been meeting him. A lot actually. You think I'm asleep, but I know you're going out to meet him. And then there was the party…"

The older Wayne sibling sat up and hopped off her bed. She tied her thin silk bathrobe over her shorts and tank top before she threw her hair up in a bun. Bruce walked to meet her at the end of the bed. "You're right, I have been meeting him. But it's not what you think." She rolled her head from side to side cracking her neck. She then gestured for him to come closer. "Hit me," Greer said putting her hands at the ready.

Bruce chuckled. "Mom hated when we did this."

"That's because I let a kid kick my ass," Greer retorted. "Pretty pathetic, I know, but no one's kicking my ass ever again. Not without a fight first."

"What does this have to do with Detective Gordon?" Bruce asked as he took a step toward his sister but folded his arms across his chest.

"Humor me and then I'll tell you." Bruce rolled his eyes and threw a right jab at his sister. Greer saw the move coming from a mile away. Not only did she dodge her brother's advance, she also managed to grab hold of his arm and then twist it behind his back. He gave a slight yelp before Greer leaned close and whispered in his ear. "That's what I've been doing in the mornings with Detective Gordon. We go to the gym and he trains me." Greer then released his arm.

Bruce rubbed his arm where Greer had been holding it. "But you hate the gym."

"I refuse to be the damsel in distress anymore. Something I hate more than the gym." Greer then collapsed onto the settee at the end of her bed. "With Mom and Dad gone, I've got to be better than that...for you."

The younger Wayne sibling sat beside his sister. "You're not the only getting training you know. Alfred's been teaching me. Only a couple lessons so far, but I want to make them proud."

Greer looked over at her brother and ruffled his hair. "We both do." She then pressed a kiss gently against her brother's temple. Bruce rolled his eyes, but he made no move to stop her. He leaned against his sister for a few moments before Greer sat up and leaned against the arm of the settee. She glanced at the newspapers on her nightstand, biting her bottom lip.

Bruce looked at his sister curiously before he asked, "You like him, don't you?"

"Who?" Greer chuckled. "Alfred? Yeah, he's alright to have around."

"No. Detective Gordon. You like him. Like, like him like him."

Greer rolled her eyes. "He's engaged...and old...and did I mention engaged?"

Bruce smirked. "That wasn't a no."

Greer reached over and gave her brother's shoulder a gentle shove. "What would you know about the subject. You're like seven."

Bruce looked at her rather seriously. "I'm twelve."

"You'll always be seven to me." Greer softly smiled at her brother.

… … …

Three days later, Greer awoke to her curtains being thrown open by Alfred. She groaned and hid her head under the covers once more. Not only shielding her eyes from the sunlight but from the growing number of newspapers and magazines that were beginning to litter her bedroom. "Rise and shine, Miss Greer."

"Go away, Alfred," Greer groaned from under the covers.

"No can do. You have a visitor."

Greer groaned and then poked her head out from the covers and looked at her alarm. "It's five in the morning. Who the hell is visiting me? And why did you let them in so early?"

"One Detective James Gordon is downstairs waiting for you. Says you've been standing him up and that he's not leaving until your sorry arse is out of bed. Although he didn't quite phrase it like that."

The Wayne girl groaned once again. "Can't you just tell him to leave? Tell him I left the country or died or found Jesus or something?"

"You're not a child. Go deal with this as an adult. Besides, I'm having a hard time understanding why you're blowing this completely out of proportion. From what I've gathered you're right exactly where you wanted to be, as far as the board is concerned. They think you're back to your old habits which is what you wanted, isn't it?"

Greer sat up. "This isn't exactly where I wanted to be. I was supposed to be here alone and now I've gone and dragged him into all of this."

"Miss Greer, it was a bloody photograph. The hell with the tabloids. You've never let them get you down before." Alfred paused for a moment and looked at Greer. "Unless there's something I'm missing."

Greer blushed, knowing what he was insinuating. "It's not like that, Alfred."

Alfred gave her a knowing nod before he responded, "Then get your bloody arse downstairs." With that, he left the room. And as much as Greer hated to hear his words he was right.

Slowly, Greer quickly dressed in something suitable before she headed downstairs to find Detective Gordon waiting in the foyer. He was dressed in athletic clothing and tennis shoes. "You're working out in that?" Jim asked gruffly.

"Excuse me?" Greer asked, still standing on the stairs with a confused expression on her face. "Working out? You still wanna do that?"

"Don't tell me you're giving up that easily," Jim said folding his arms across his chest. Greer couldn't quite read his expression. It was either amused or annoyed. It took her a moment to respond.

"The tabloids…" she started, trying to explain her position.

Jim shrugged his shoulders. "Don't have a clue what the hell is going on. You know what happened that night and I know what happened. The stupid papers get it wrong more often than they get it right. Besides, I made you a promise that I intend on keeping, but you're making it hard for me to uphold my end when you don't show up. "

Greer finished walking down the stairs and stopped directly in front of him with her arms folded across her chest. "And how did your fiancee take it?" she questioned.

Jim shook his head. "Let's not talk about her."

Greer raised an eyebrow. "That bad, huh?"

For a moment, Greer thought that he might open up about things. But he didn't. Instead, he just stood a little taller. "Don't worry about Barbara. So, are we doing this or not?"

"Yeah, I guess," Greer sighed. "Just gimme a minute to change into something more suitable."

Greer ran upstairs and quickly changed into workout clothes. She wasn't entirely sure why she agreed to do this. Well, she knew part of the reason. She just couldn't say no to him. He had that effect on her and to be perfectly honest, she wasn't sure it was a good thing. She knew that it could potentially put her in precarious situations, but right now she didn't care. While she hadn't dared admit it aloud, she had missed his company over the last few days. But that wasn't something she could tell a nearly married man.

When Greer returned back downstairs, she had expected Jim to have left, but he still stood in the foyer. "You didn't have to wait for me," Greer said pulling a strand of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"We're both headed to the same place. No sense in taking two cars," Jim said casually, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Especially after everything…" Greer moved to the window. She pulled the curtain aside and looked at the end of the driveway. Sure enough, there was a photographer standing outside the gate. She motioned Jim over and he looked to where Greer pointed him.

Jim shook his head. "You know what? I don't give a damn. We're not doing anything wrong and I refuse to be chastised for that." He walked toward the door and held it open. He motioned with his hand for Greer to exit. She looked over her shoulder up the stairs to see Alfred standing at the top. He nodded toward her. Greer nodded back before she walked out the door.

They were about halfway to Jim's car when Greer turned toward him. She bit her bottom lip for a few moments before she spoke. "I-uh-just wanted to apologize for…"

"The other night?" Jim asked with a raised eyebrow. "It was a tie." He just shrugged and opened the passenger's side door for her. "To hell with the papers."

Greer softly smiled. "That's what Alfred said."

Jim smiled softly. "Smart man," he said as Greer climbed into the car before he shut the door behind her. For a moment, he wondered if this really was the right thing to do, especially given how rocky things with Barbara had been the last few days, but he had made Greer Wayne a promise and Jim Gordon kept his promises.

As they approached the gym, Greer was glad that there was no paparazzi waiting for them to show up. They started their workout with cardio...running. Greer still hated running. It bored her to run on a treadmill, even if the television was on. She would much rather be home sleeping than running, but if anyone ever tried to kidnap her again, she might have a chance of outrunning them. At least a significantly better chance than before she started running.

Greer was glad when Jim announced that they could stop running. Those words were music to her ears. They then switched to some boxing. Greer wasn't very good at boxing, but she did feel somewhat confident in her abilities, especially since she had taken her brother down the other day. Besides, she was fairly certain that she was better at boxing than she was at running. She practiced her punches and pivots with the punching bag. Jim kept a close eye on her and would correct her when necessary. The thing he corrected most was her stance. She could feel herself blushing as his hands went to her waist to correct her stance, but she didn't say anything. She just threw another punch.

It was during one of those awkward corrections where Jim's hand was on her waist, that a man, clearly not dressed for the gym, walked in and approached them. "Hello, James," the man greeted rather enthusiastically with his hands in the air. "Old friend!"

Greer glanced at Jim who seemed to tense and his grip on her waist tightened. Not wanting to give any wrong impressions, she removed his hand from her waist to see the man smiling at her with a rather disgusting smile. "You must be Greer Wayne. You're even more beautiful than in the papers," the man said before he quickly covered his mouth with his hand like he knew he had said something wrong. He then grinned at Jim. "I think I prefer this one better."

Jim rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything, the man thrust his hand out toward Greer. "Where are my manners?" he chuckled. "I'm Peter. Peter Humboldt."

Greer lightly shook his hand, which Jim seemed to disapprove of. The detective scoffed under his breath and Greer looked at him. Her instincts told her that the man wasn't who he said he was. Perhaps, she could catch the man off-guard. "How exactly do you two know each other?" she asked.

The man smiled at Jim, waiting for him to answer. Jim scratched his neck, "Uh-he's a work friend. He must be here, for a work thing." Greer arched an eyebrow curiously between the two men.

Peter responded, "I'm just recently back in Gotham and I decided to pop in."

"At the gym?" Greer questioned.

"You know, I think he needs something out of the car," Jim said glancing at Peter. "I'll walk him out to get it and be right back. You just keep working on your stance and get some good hits in."

Greer simply gave him a simple nod as she watched him walk away with the man, who waved and smiled back at her as he left with Jim. Something about him wasn't quite right. She knew she should stay put and keep practicing, as she was told. But her curiosity got the better of her. Besides, she was Greer Wayne, after all. And Greer Wayne was infamous for involving herself where she wasn't always needed.

Quietly walking on her tip toes, Greer made her way outside. She glanced at Jim's car, but she didn't see them there. If this guy was as shady as she thought he was, Jim wouldn't want to be seen out in the open with him. So, she walked around the outside of the gym until she came to a darkened alleyway in the back where she could hear their raised voices. Carefully, she approached the situation, ducking behind a dumpster.

"I should have killed you!" Jim hissed. "I should put a bullet in your head right now!"

Greer's eye widened in horror. His words alarmed her. Was the man she had put her trust in no better than the criminal who had murdered her parents? She slowly peered around the dumpster to find that Jim had Peter pushed against the brick wall, but surprisingly the man against the wall looked calm.

"And you would have every right to do so," Peter acknowledged. "But you won't, Jim Gordon. You're a good man. You may very well be the last good man in Gotham. And that's why I want to help you."

Jim shook his head. "I don't want your help," he spat.

"No, no," Peter agreed. "But you need it. That vile creature Fish Mooney, Don Falcone, the police, not even your own partner trusts you. They will always hide the truth from you. But not me. Never. You saved my life."

"God knows I wish I hadn't."

"Kill me now or trust me," the man said giving Jim an ultimatum. "I told you there's a war coming, Jim. There will be so many deaths. So many. You wanna save Gotham? I can help you. I can be your secret agent."

Jim shook his head. "Until Falcone finds out you're alive," Jim argued. "Then he'll have both of our heads."

"Nobody looks for a dead man," the man rationalized before he gave Jim a small smile before Jim released his hold on him. Peter brushed off the spot where Jim had pinned his suit before he took a few steps away from the wall. He waddled with his hands held behind his back.

Greer stood there trying to process the words being spoken. Thankfully, Jim seemed to have the same questions she did. "This war, what are you talking about? Why will there be a war?" the detective questioned, getting in the man's face.

The man just smiled and shook his head. "Uh, as you very well know, war is just politics by other means." The man took a step closer toward Jim so that their faces were only inches from each other. "And isn't politics just money? Talking?"

"Talking about what?" Jim questioned.

The man looked around slyly before he spat, "Arkham, of course!"

Not meaning to, Greer gasped out loud causing both Jim and the other man to glance at her. She covered her mouth and quickly ran away, trying to process everything she had just heard. How could Arkham possibly be involved? Arkham had been one of her mother's pet projects and now it seemed to be involved in a sinister scheme. Could her mother have been involved? Could it be why her parents were killed?

Greer ran and ran until she needed to stop to catch her breath. She stopped and leaned against a tree only to find Jim was quickly approaching her. He was a far better runner than she was, despite how much better she had gotten. But she had to try-clearly she had been wrong to place her trust in him. So, she started running again, but it wasn't too long before he easily caught up to her and grabbed hold of her arm.

"Let go of me!" Greer hissed.

"We need to talk," Jim said gruffly, not releasing her arm.

She fought against his grip. "I said let go! Let go or I'll scream."

"You really wanna draw more attention after a week's worth of tabloids?" he questioned, looking at her. She groaned before she muttered that she would give him a few minutes. He removed his hand from her arm, but he placed it on her upper back as they walked down the sidewalk together toward the park.

"Greer, let me explain…" Jim started, but Greer quickly interrupted him.

"Who the hell was that? What the hell is he talking about? And don't you dare tell me that it doesn't concern me because as far as I see it if I go to your superiors with any of this you're gonna be in a deep load of shit. So, answer my questions or I will be forced to go to extreme measures."

Jim took a moment to consider the ultimatum Greer had just given him. Greer Wayne could certainly make his life ever more miserable by hardly even trying. If he wanted to get to the bottom of things, he couldn't have Greer interfering. Not to mention that it might not hurt to have a friend like Greer Wayne on his side. "All right," Jim said with a nod. "I'll tell you what you want to know."

Greer sighed and nodded her head. She then pulled her arm back and sucker-punched him on the jaw. For a moment, they both stood there stunned by her actions. But within seconds, Jim brought his hand to his face and Greer began shaking her hand.

"What the hell was that for? I said I'll answer your questions." Jim groaned holding his face where her fist had connected with his jaw.

"I trusted you! I've trusted you this entire time and you-you turn out to be dirty."

"I'm not dirty. And as far as you are concerned, I haven't been dishonest with you. I swear." He moved his jaw up and down and gave Greer a small smile. "Nice punch by the way."

"Thanks," Greer said folding her arms across her chest and standing a little taller. "Why should I believe you now?"

"Because I'll tell you what you want to know...so long as you don't tell anyone. What we say stays between us." Jim looked at Greer intensely until she slowly nodded her head, agreeing to his terms. "First, you wanted to know who that was. His name is Oswald Cobblepot, he used to work for Fish Mooney...and he's supposedly dead."

Greer arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean supposedly?"

Jim glanced at the ground before he slowly exhaled. He looked up at her, unsure if he should be trusting her. It was either he tell her or she would tell others. "I was given orders to kill him."

Greer looked at him incredulously. "Who gave the order?"

"My superiors. You already know I'm trying to clean the place up, but I can only do it from the inside. I had to earn their trust."

She nodded her head, beginning to understand, but there was still something she wasn't sure about. "How did you convince them Copplepot was dead when he really wasn't?"

"We were by the water. I told him to leave Gotham and never return. And-"

Greer put her hand up to stop him from continuing. She understood where he was going. And honestly, she felt a rush of relief knowing that Jim hadn't actually killed the man. That he had done the honorable thing and let the man live. "What-what about this war he was talking about?"

Jim sighed. "I don't know. That's the first I've heard of it. But honestly, it wouldn't surprise me."

"I'm guessing you don't know how Arkham is involved either?"

Jim shook his head.

Greer bit her bottom lip. "Do you think my parents were involved?"

He looked a little surprised by her question. After taking a moment to think about it, he said, "I don't know, but from what I know about your parents, they were good people. I don't know that they would willingly play a part in all of this."

"But they're dead. So, maybe…"

"Maybe they were standing up for what they believed was right."

The Wayne girl nodded her head. She took a few steps and walked over to the park bench. She sat down and ran her fingers through her hair, still trying to process it all. Jim came and sat down beside her. After a few moments, Greer asked, "So now what?"

Jim shrugged his shoulders and then sighed. "I'm gonna keep doing my job. I hope you can still trust me."

Greer nodded her head. "And you can trust me. You don't have to carry this burden on your own. I-I'm stronger than I look."

Jim smiled, "I know that."

They sat there for a few minutes glancing at each other, saying nothing. From now one, they had to trust each other. There could be no questioning the other-not if they were to help Gotham. Jim looked at his watch before he helped Greer to her feet. It was time to get back to the gym, so he could get to work on time. Jim gave Greer's shoulder reassuring pat before they began their walk back.

Unbeknownst to them, a lone photographer hiding in the bushes. While he hadn't heard their conversation. His camera had captured enough of it to make himself a large sum of money and cause both of them plenty of trouble.


End file.
